One Summer's Day
by Screaming Siopao
Summary: Post series of the manga version. The gang is home from their graduation trip to Hawaii and the summer before their freshman college years is here at last. It's a hot and humid summer, but the weather isn't the only thing that's heating up... Rated T but may include slight M content. Rei/Aya/Yuuya.
1. Second Place

**Siopao:** I've been itching to write something, but I'm a bit stuck in my other stories. Please forgive me if this turns out terribly.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own GALS!, or its characters. Plot's mine.

**Setting:** Post series. In the manga version (which I HIGHLY prefer over the anime), the group goes to Hawaii after graduation. This story takes place _after_ that trip.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter One - Second Place**

**By: Screaming Siopao **

Bells; her laughter was like bells. The jingle of it always sounded so pleasing to him. She was always laughing at him, even at times when he wasn't trying to be funny. He liked that about her. Mami never laughed like that around him, much less _along_ with him.

"Nii, that's amazing!" Aya, the astonished brunette, said in awe while flashing the corn-haired boy an entertained smile. "That really happened?"

"Yeah, I swear on it!" Yuuya replied with equal enthusiasm. It amused him how engrossed Aya always was in his ridiculous stories.

"Then what?"

"So then, he cut me off while on my scooter and I almost crashed into this takoyaki stand, right? But then this huge watermelon came rolling along and—" the sound of a loud, repeating musical tune interrupted Yuuya in the middle of the story that he was oh-so passionately conveying.

"Ah, sorry Nii, it's Rei-kun," she said while pointing to the caller ID on her cell phone. He signaled for her to go as she made her way to a more private location on the train.

As the graceful girl maneuvered through the dense crowd on the train, Yuuya found himself softly smiling to himself. He and Mami had got into a meaningless argument the previous day and he was actually feeling quite bummed out because of it. Throughout their high school years, he had really begun to feel fond towards Mami. She was feminine, confident, and held high morals. She was a true gal. Yet, she was also very hard-headed and irritable. It seemed as if her mood switched completely at mach speed. Being Mami Honda's boyfriend made him feel proud, yet somewhat worn out. She was a Pacific typhoon, and he was a spring zephyr.

Yet, Aya had always been so good at cheering him up, ever since the beginning. He recalled the time during their first-years when she had placed a band-aid on his cheek at the indoor snowboarding slope. She uplifted his spirits that day, encouraging him to never give up on what made him happy— at the time, it was Ran Kotobuki. He swore he loved Ran then. He swore he loved Mami now. He knew he loved Aya, but in a friendship-type of way. She was his best friend's girlfriend. He knew he should have gone for her, ever since the beginning. But it was too late now, right? The train car suddenly shook, waking Yuuya from his thoughts. A sigh escaped his lips.

Yes, Aya Hoshino and Yuuya Asou were accompanying one another on this humid June afternoon on the train. The two had just finished their morning errands and ran into each other afterwards while making their way towards Shibuya. Where were the others? Well, Yamato had a rare day off, so he and Miyuu would be having a lovey-dovey date tonight, naturally. After all, that's what married couples did, right? Ran was already out in Shibuya, using up poor Tatsukichi's most recent paycheck to buy herself some accessories. Mami was in 'Bukuro dealing with some of her father's wealthy clients, while also ignoring Yuuya at the same time because of their most recent argument. And Rei...

"I'm working," the low, cool voice said on the other line. Aya gripped onto a metal pole in the train to keep herself from tilting over from the car's swift movements.

"I understand," Aya acknowledged with a smile. The gang had just graduated high school and she had been with Rei for over two years, at this point. She was already so used to Rei's busy work schedule. After all, he was good at what he did, when it came to music. "Well, I guess just Nii and I will catch up with Ran and Tatsukichi later, then."

There was a short pause.

"You're with Yuuya?"

"Yes. We're on the train! Ah, I just realized, my stop is next. I'm going to go now, Rei-kun, I'll call you later!" And with that, Aya hung up the phone and dashed towards the closest exit.

On the other line, Rei felt a strange, uncomfortable feeling as Aya hung up the phone. He could tell Yuuya was unhappy in his relationship with Mami as of recent. He knew that Aya often had a habit of picking Yuuya up when he was down. But more importantly, he'd noticed Yuuya's glances towards Aya for the past couple of days. He caught his best friend looking at her softly several times with such curiosity. He didn't know exactly what these strange glances were all about, but he knew that he absolutely did not like it.

Rei gave out a sigh and impatiently tapped his foot while at the record store. Secretly, he'd rather be with Aya right now. It pissed him off that Yuuya was there, while he wasn't.

Unluckily for poor Aya, the train was packed today. Of course, it was a Friday afternoon; workers were trying to head home, and teens were all getting a kick start to their weekends.

"Ano, excuse me! I'm getting off!" Aya announced while trying to squeeze her way through the crowded area with her arms extended. She wasn't going to make it. There were just too many people. There was no way she could get to the doors before they shut themselves closed. "Please, I'm getting off! Excuse m-"

Aya's outreached arm was pulled forward by someone's tight grasp, causing her to step out of the train and onto the platform. The sudden jerk caused her to fall forward, but she was caught in the arms by the one who pulled her out.

Golden yellow eyes met chestnut brown.

A gasp.

A blush.

A whisper in the air:

"Eh? Nii..." She could feel his stare on her as he held her in his arms, preventing her from falling.

"Aya-chan," Yuuya breathed. His chest felt so tight all of a sudden. He was so close to her. Aya's chest was pressed against his and he immediately shot his eyes away when he _accidentally_ saw that she had been wearing a low cut blouse. An embarrassed blush crept onto his handsome face at the sight. One hand rested on the small of her back, while the other held her waist._ "She's so... tiny."_

"Ah... thanks for helping me, Nii," Aya softly said while looking down, obviously hiding a scarlet trail on her cheeks. "B-But, you can let me go now."

"H- Huh!? Ehh, sorry about that, Aya-chan," Yuuya apologized while letting her go. Somewhere inside him, he really didn't want to do it. Aya smiled a bright smile.

Yuuya's heart skipped a beat.

_"Tch... damn, what's wrong with me?"_ he thought inwardly, feeling somewhat flustered.

"It's okay," she said while walking away from the tracks, Yuuya following closely behind. "I wouldn't have made it out if you hadn't pulled me out of there, Nii!"

_"Ah, that's right. I'm still just 'Nii' to her, anyway. Always second place, like usual. She probably thought nothing of this,"_ Yuuya thought, realizing that his heart's pace hadn't returned to normal.

Why couldn't he just shake the incident out of his mind? He looked at the lovely gal beside him, with her long, flowing dark hair. Aya hadn't changed much since their freshman year.

He suddenly remembered the feel of her curvy waist under his palm. The sight of her cleavage against his chest. The feel of them against his body made him soar high. They were so soft, he remembered.

Ahh, except that. That was a major change he saw in Aya— her body had grown to be more... _womanly_, if he had anything to say about it. Still so innocent, yet so matured all at once.

Of course, Mami was beautiful to him, too. He would never think of ever two-timing her. But there was just something so alluring about Aya. She seemed vibrant; cheerful. Yet, also a bit mysterious to him...

"Hello? Niii!" Aya almost yelled into his ear.

"Eh?" he snapped out of his daze. He felt a bit dirty, seeing as Mami was still his girlfriend, after all. "What did you say?"

"I said we're here, at Wing Burger, where Ran and Tatsukichi said they'd meet us," Aya blinked once as she looked on at Yuuya.

"O-Oh, right," he blankly replied while rubbing the back of his head.

"Nii, are you okay? You seem a bit pale." Aya stepped forward and Yuuya flinched. He was honestly afraid— afraid that if she'd come closer, he'd have a heart attack.

"I'm fine, really, Aya-chan. Just hungry. Let's go!" he said while marching into the fast food joint. Aya shrugged and followed along, smiling.

"Yo! Brotha!" Tatsuki yelled as he sat beside his famous girlfriend, Ran Kotobuki. "Aya-ppe!"

"Hey guys!" Aya said while taking a seat across from the bakappuru. Yuuya gulped as he was forced to sit beside Aya.

"Yo, bro, you alright?" the monkey boy asked. "You're sweatin' bullets!"

"You look super pale, Nii!" Ran pointed out. "Here, have a burger! I have five more anyway." Yuuya laughed nervously.

"What? N- No, it's okay, It's just super hot, that's why!" Yuuya tried to defend himself while abruptly standing up, startling everyone. "I'm just going to get an iced tea up front."

"I'll come too," Aya said, rising from her seat.

"Huh? No!" he suddenly yelled, taking the brunette aback. "I mean, uh, I'll order for you Aya-chan! What do you want?"

"Hmm," she put her index finger to her chin in thought. "I'm not quite sure, I'd like to go see the menu." Yuuya sighed in defeat.

"O- Okay, let's go."

As the two walked towards the front counter, Ran and Tatsuki exchanged very weirded out looks.

"Ne, Nii's acting really weird, huh?" Ran said in between chews of her french fries.

"I noticed too," Tatsuki said, looking towards his friends' direction. He noticed that Yuuya was very fidgety at the cash register, especially when Aya would make eye contact with him. "Hm, my Machida Black senses are onto something..."

"Oh, not _that_ again."

"Seriously, look at Aya-ppe and bro!"

As soon as Ran looked over, Aya put her hand on Yuuya's arm, probably inquiring him on what she should order. Yuuya quickly darted his arm away and jumped about a foot back at her touch.

"See?" the blonde monkey boy said.

"Yeah, I mean maybe Nii's just on a caffeine rush." Ran could still always be so dense, even up till now. Tatsuki shook his head in disagreement.

"No. You don't think that he might, you know, like Aya-ppe?" he inquired. Ran spat her soda out. "They always _did_ seem kind of chummy."

"Dummy!" she said hitting her boyfriend on the head. "Don't just go assuming that! You'll cause problems! Nii has Mami-rin and Aya has Otochi!"

"Ah, you're right, I guess," the poor Tatsuki said while rubbing his head. "My bad; it was just a weird hunch!"

Meanwhile, leaving the bakappuru behind for now, Aya was ordering her food at the front counter.

"I'll have..." she thought as the cashier waited to punch in her order. "The bacon cheeseburger, small fries and a medium iced tea, please."

"Will that be all, miss?" the woman asked. Aya nodded. Yuuya then handed the cashier some money, to the brunette's surprise.

"Eh? Nii?"

"It's okay, let me pay for you, Aya-chan," Yuuya insisted. "It's not much anyway."

"But, I-"

"It's okay!" he smiled shyly. "I want to." Aya blushed just the slightest bit.

"Well, er, thank you, then."

As the two made their way back, Ran and Tatsuki were just about finishing their food.

"It's a pretty hot summer this year, ne?" Aya asked while setting down her tray at the table. "I can feel the humidity in here too, though it's airconditioned." She wiped some sweat from her forehead.

"You bet," Ran said. "It's totally messing with my hair!"

"Well, soon enough, it'll be fall and we'll all be headed towards our separate career paths and universities!" Yuuya exclaimed excitedly.

"Ack! Don't remind me!" Tatsuki choked. "I can't believe I ended up with my pop's ramen shop after all."

"I knew it was just meant to be all along," Aya pointed out. "Same goes for Ran and the police academy!"

Everyone laughed.

"Ahh, well I always did say I'd cross that bridge when I got there," Ran said, scratching the back of her head. "And, well, I guess I'm there!"

"Aw," Aya said, pinching her friend's cheek. "You've grown so much!"

"Blech! Quit it!" Ran spat, with an embarrassed blush on her cheek.

"Say Aya-ppe," the tan-skinned blonde said. "You'll be in university with Otochi, ne?"

At this question, Yuya's heart sank the slightest bit.

"E- Eh?" Now it was Aya's turn to blush. "Yes! The University of Tokyo!"

"Sounds like a pain!" Ran shouted. "So many geeks..."

"How about you, Nii?" Aya turned to ask Yuuya, who seemed a bit startled. "You're being scouted from many universities, right?"

"H- Huh? Oh, yeah," he absentmindedly replied. School was the very last thing on his mind right now.

"Rykkyo University was your goal last time, ne?" Aya asked.

"Oh right!" Tatsuki exclaimed. "In 'Bukuro, with Mami-rin!"

"Actually. I'm not sure anymore. My mind is always changing. I have to make a decision soon though."

"Ehh!?" Ran gasped. "What about Mami-rin? She'll kill you, Nii!"

Yuuya laughed nervously.

"You see... Mami-chan and I... aren't doing very well," he admitted. Everyone stared. There was a brief, awkward silence.

"I- I'm sorry for bringing it up, Nii," the number one gal apologized while scratching the back of her head. "I'm sure things will turn up!"

"Yeah, don't worry, brotha!" Tatsuki firmly patted his friend's shoulder from across the table.

"We'll all be here no matter what," Aya turned to Yuuya and flashed the sweetest smile at him. There was a tug on his heart. "Talk to me about anything, whenever!" There was a small, undetectable blush on the corn-haired lad's face when she looked at him.

Well, at least, it was only undetectable to the three present.

Outside the restaurant, Mami peered in at her boyfriend who was looking at another girl, the way he used to look at her.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter One – Second Place: End.**

**Siopao: **Yup, you guessed it! This is ReixAyaxYuuya. Always loved Aya with our lovable Second Place for some reason. Don't like it? Kick the can! Wait, is that the correct expression? o.o" I know this fandom is dead but PLEASE REVIEW. It would encourage me a lot. If I'm not mistaken, I believe this is the 300th GALS! fanfic on here (As of 3/25/2013) Woot!

Again, please review! Domo!


	2. Comfort

**Siopao:** _(05/09/2013)_ Here's the next chapter, readers! Thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter, including Alice, ayaloverei, B, KiRisH KiRisH, Dana05, luckyclover15 & Ayayuyarei. You guys keep me going, so please continue in supporting & reviewing. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own GALS!, or its characters. Plot's mine.

**Setting:** Post series. In the manga version (which I HIGHLY prefer over the anime), the group goes to Hawaii after graduation. This story takes place _after_ that trip.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Two - Comfort**

**By: Screaming Siopao**

"Oh, Yuuya!" a certain caramel-haired gal exclaimed with excitement. "You're so funny, Yuuya!"

"Eh? You think so?" the corn-haired Shibuya model said with surprise as he strode along the streets with his famous Ikebukuroite girlfriend, Mami Honda. The sun during this particular afternoon was especially bright and hot in the cloudless summer sky. He had just finished telling her a story of how he had missed his train stop earlier that morning. "I didn't really mean for it to be funny. I actually thought it was pretty inconvenient, if you ask m—"

Yuuya suddenly got a glimpse of Mami's annoyed face.

"I _said,_ it was _funny_, Yuuya," she said in between her gritted teeth.

"A- Ah!" he stepped a foot from her in fear. "Right! It's hilarious, y-you're totally right Mami-chan." With that, the caramel-haired gal continued onward with her former, cheery attitude. Yuuya sighed with relief.

Mami recalled the way she saw Yuuya looking curiously at Aya the other day. She had gone looking for him to apologize after their meaningless argument, only to find her beloved man longingly staring at one of her close friends. He held dreamy eyes towards the lovely brunette— a look he hadn't given her in a long while. Mami noticed that Aya was always laughing at Yuuya. Whether at his actions or at his weird stories, she was always entertained for some reason. That reason, Mami didn't really know, seeing as she did not find Yuuya to be all that humorous. Mami didn't want to lose Yuuya to Aya, so she figured she should act a little bit more like her brunette friend.

"Anyway, did you want to come shopping with me and Harue this evening? There's this awesome sale on sandals, and I could really use a new pair..." she happily sang, while hinting to her boyfriend as she clung harder onto his arm.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could have the rest of the day in Shibuya. Ran, Miyuu, and Aya are going to be—" Mami stopped dead in her tracks.

"Aya?"

"Yeah." Yuuya blinked. There was a long pause. "You know... Hoshino?"

"What is she to you?" This question took Yuuya aback and he flinched.

"What do you mean, Mami-chan? Sh- She's my friend."

"Is that it?"

"Of course," he gulped. She stared at him eye to eye. Her gaze could have burned right through his skull. Then, she flashed a smile.

"Okay," Mami replied gleefully. "I trust you, Yuuya." He sighed in relief for the second time that day.

But deep inside, he thought about Aya. He had said that she was only a friend to him, and that was true, which is was what saddened him. It saddened him just as equally that he felt like he was betraying Mami.

"So, can I go to Shibuya?" he asked again after a few moments of walking in silence. She turned to him with a lovely smile.

"No," she mouthed. And she clung onto her beloved's arm even tighter as he nervously chuckled at her actions. This was going to be a long day, and Yuuya already knew it.

**o0o0o0o**

"Yo," said a low, calm tone that belonged to none other than Otohata Rei. He took a notebook from his hand and lightly tapped it onto a certain brunette's hair.

"Rei-kun!" Aya beamed, as she looked up from her reference book. She was sitting alone at a booth in a late-night diner. She glanced at the clock on the pale white wall: 10:27 PM. "Are you finished work?"

"Yeah. You're still here? I told you, you didn't have to wait up for me," he took a seat across from her and noticed some dark rings underneath her eyes. "You look tired."

"It's alright. I got caught up in this cetacean book for my introductory research paper for when the fall term begins. It's really interesting."

"You've already started that?" he asked amusedly. There was a slight smirk on his lips— that slight smirk that Aya loved oh-so much.

"Well, you're here to do work too," Aya eyed the notebook in his hand.

"It's just from the record store. Stuff I like to write for music ideas. Song lists, whatever. You know, for my DJing," he explained.

"Ah, I see." She took a sip of the hot cocoa that the waitress just set before them.

"Anything for you, sir?" the young waitress asked Rei. There was a slight blush on her cheeks. She obviously knew who he was. Aya discreetly rolled her eyes and cast her head back down at her book about the cetacean world. This chapter was about the origins of whaling in Norway.

"Just water, thanks."

"Are you sure?" she tried to pry.

"Yep," he coolly answered. The waitress reluctantly walked away, while stealing a look back at the handsome boy sitting at the booth.

**o0o0o0o**

"Damn," Yuuya said under his breath. He looked at the empty shot glass he just set down before him and the other four beside it. "I overdid it." He shook his head in an attempt to sober himself up.

"Oi, Asou," the old bartender, Koji, voiced out. Yuuya lifted his head to face the man who he'd become familiar with for the past few weeks. "Does your pretty little girlfriend know you're here? You'd better get home."

"Girlfriend?" Yuuya asked to himself, as if trying to recall a forgotten person. _It's more like I'm her pet and she's my master._

"The rich girl's keeping you on a tight leash, eh?" the old man chuckled while cleaning a glass with a towel.

"What? Can you read my mind Koji-san?" Yuuya asked, astonished. His face was flushed red from the sake.

"Heh, nah kid, I'd know that look on your face any day. Seen that around here far too much." Koji set down the glass and approached Yuuya. "Listen, kid. You're young. See these guys?" Yuuya looked around at the somber, older men around him. "You wanna end up like them?"

"Er, well, n- no," Yuuya slurred.

"Then, get outta here. You have time. Be with your girl. Have some fun. Do something crazy." Koji motioned him towards the exit.

Yuuya stared down at the bar table. He looked at his empty glasses. He didn't want to be a puppet anymore. He didn't want to be tied down by ropes and string. He looked at the clock: 11:03 PM. He reached into his pocket, pulled out some cash, and set it down on the wooden surface.

"Thanks Koji-san," Yuuya bade as he bolted for the door. The old man chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Hope I didn't get any weird ideas into that kid's head."

**o0o0o0o**

There was a moment of silence.

Silence had always been a consistent trait of this quirky pair's relationship. Throughout the years, there had always been awkward pauses, especially in the very beginning. Previously, it was due to Rei's indifference and Aya's shyness. Now, however, they actually enjoyed the silence with no tense feelings floating in the air. Silence was their comfort; the mere presence of one another sufficed well enough for the two. Aya stifled a cough, breaking the quiet ambiance of the almost-empty diner.

"You alright?" Rei asked, his eyebrows slightly furrowing with concern. Aya looked up from the pages and nodded.

"Yeah," she chimed, trying not to worry him. "Just a small cough."

"Hn, alright, if you say so." He could tell she was lying but he let it slide. "So what'd you, Kotobuki, and Yamazaki do today?"

"We went bathing suit shopping for our beach trip next week," she happily recalled. "We also went to this new cafe and ate crepes. It was a shame that you had work, though. Also, Nii-kun said he was sorry for not being able to come along today."

"You invited Yuuya?" Rei asked, trying to hide his jealousy. Aya found the question strange, seeing as it was already a given that Yuuya would be included in the gang's plans.

" Of cour—" Aya opened her mouth to reply, but was suddenly cut off by the waitress who had returned with Rei's cup of water.

"Here you go, hun. And here's also an order of chocolate cake, on the house," she winked, as she set the items down.

"I didn't ask for this," Rei commented blankly.

"Don't worry about it," she flirted, while softly grazing over Rei's hand on the table with her own slender fingers. She leaned into him a bit closer. "It's on me." The waitress had long, brown hair tied in a high pony-tail. She was very tall and slender, with the physique of a model. Aya felt jealous all of a sudden, but she bit her tongue nonetheless.

Sure, Aya had grown more of a backbone since her high school years, but she still felt out of place when it came to competing with other women, especially if she felt like she stood no chance against them. She knew she was lucky to have Rei; every girl in town wanted a piece of him, including this pesky waitress. She just sat there and hung her head in embarrassment, unable to protect her title as Rei's girlfriend.

"Thanks, but I'm not interested," Aya heard Rei say as he stood from his seat. "My _girlfriend_ and I will be leaving." He threw some cash down on the table and lead Aya out of the diner, book in her hand.

"W- What are you doing, Rei-kun?" Aya softly asked as they exited. Rei stopped as he turned around to face his girlfriend and looked at her as if the answer were obvious.

"You seemed uncomfortable. So, I figured we should leave," he shrugged. Aya blinked a few times before stifling a giggle. Rei was so kind to her. He sure had grown to be more attentive to her feelings. The old Rei from high school sure had come a long way. It just made her so overjoyed to know that Rei cared, even during little moments like this. Her gleeful giggles continued. "What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing Rei-kun," she shook her head. Her head started hurting a bit and she placed her index finger on her temple to massage it. "It's just that you—" Aya suddenly stumbled forward and started falling as her knees were giving out on her. Rei, luckily, caught and supported her before she could hit the ground.

"Aya," Rei breathed, caught off guard by her warm body temperature. "You don't just have a cough. Your skin is burning."

"What?" her eyelids fluttered open as she regained her composure. She shook herself from Rei's hold and took a step back.

"I'm fine," she assured. But Rei wouldn't believe her load of lies.

He held her shoulders, looked her in the eyes, and pulled her to an embrace.

"You have to take care of yourself."

"E-Eh? Rei-kun..." she whispered, her face covered in a scarlet blush.

"You've been skipping out on meals again, haven't you?" he asked with concern. He knew that when Aya got into a book, she often forgot to eat. Aya recalled today's measly meal of just a mere strawberry crepe, which she had earlier in Shibuya.

"Maybe just one or two," she assured. "It's okay Rei-kun, I'll be alright."

"I don't believe you." He then scooped up his girlfriend bridal style. "I'm taking you home."

"Rei-kun! I'm heavy, put me down!" she protested while flailing her legs. Rei scoffed.

"Yeah, right. You're as light as a feather." With that, Rei approached his navy blue Audi A6 and placed his lovely girlfriend in the front passenger seat.

**o0o0o0o**

"Thanks, Rei-kun." Aya had just arrived to her home along with Rei, who was accompanying her. "It's pretty late. You'd better head home."

"Yeah," he checked his wristwatch. It was 11:41 PM.

"Have a safe trip home," she bade with a gleeful smile.

"Hn." He looked away from her innocent face and held back his sudden urge to embrace her. Instead, he held out his hand and touched her rosy cheek.

"Eh?" she asked in surprised, caught off guard by his icy touch. "R- Rei-kun?"

"You're still warm. Rest up tonight." He dropped his hand back to his side. He wanted so much to hold her again. She nodded.

"Un!" she beamed. "I will, don't worry."

They exchanged their simple goodnights and went their own separate ways, Aya making her way into her home and Rei heading back to his car.

Inside, Aya got dressed into her night clothes— a pink cami tank top along with shorts adorned with hibiscus designs. She tied up her hair, freshened up, dried her face, and looked into the mirror of her bathroom with a small smile of satisfaction plastered on her face. She was feeling more and more content with her relationship with Rei each day. They were finally starting to find their rhythm ever since their graduation from high school. Their trip to Hawaii especially strengthened them. She remembered that late night after Miyuu and Yamato's wedding when she and Rei took a stroll down the sandy white coast, hand-in-hand...

_Knock, knock._

Aya jumped. The banging sound caught her off-guard and shook her from her thoughts of Hawaii. The knocking continued, slightly growing louder each bang. She hurriedly tiptoed over to her door, although she was the only inhabitant of the house at the moment, not even remembering to put on a robe.

_'Hmm, Rei must have forgotten something,' _she assumed, a bit confused.

She turned the doorknob and was surprised to find Yuuya leaning on the frame of her doorway.

"Nii!" she gasped in shock. "What are you—"

"Aya-chan," he lowly whispered as he lifted his head to look at her. '_Those are the clothes she sleeps in? She's so cute...'_ Aya could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Oh, Nii, come inside. You'll catch a cold." She tried helping him in, but he wouldn't budge from the doorway.

Yuuya suddenly started falling over forward, with the tiny Aya attempting to catch and support him to little avail. His legs were giving out on him and he dug his face into Aya's neck.

"Mm, Aya-chan," he breathed. A surprised squeak escaped her lips. Aya blushed and, in her daze, lost her balance and clumsily fell backwards. This left Yuuya collapsing on the small girl in front of him, and the two laid there, sprawled on the carpeted floor.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Two - Comfort: End.**

**Siopao: **I'll finish that little flashback from Hawaii that Aya is having during a later chapter! ;) Again, please review. It makes me update faster! Hehe. Thank you all who have read.


	3. Conflict

**Siopao:** _(05/20/2013)_ I'm back with a swifter update! Thanks to luckyclover15, ayaloverei, and CuteBubbles for reviewing chapter two. It means a lot!_  
_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own GALS!, or its characters. Plot's mine.

**Setting:** Post series. In the manga version, the group goes to Hawaii after graduation. This story takes place _after_ that trip.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Three - Conflict**

**By: Screaming Siopao**

"Ugh," Yuuya groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He supported his head, afraid that if he didn't it would just roll off his body. It was pounding as if there was a jackhammer in his brain. The new light entering his pupils burned like hell as he cursed under his breath. He looked around briefly at his unfamiliar surroundings— a pink wall, white bed sheets, multiple stuffed animals, and an orchid on the window sill. _'Where am I? What happened last night?'_

Suddenly, a flashback. He remembered the bar and all those damned shots he shouldn't have taken. He remembered hopping into a cab. _Where to?_ the driver asked. _I don't know,_ he replied. _Anywhere. Anywhere with her._ Then, he remembered her face. Her skin. Her intoxicating scent. He put the bits and pieces together.

_'Dammit. Don't tell me I did something stupid.'_

"Nii!" a certain brunette suddenly barged in. "You're awake, that's good. I thought you'd never get up."

"Aya-chan," he mumbled. His rough voice startled him and he tried clearing his throat. "Where am I? What time is it?" she let out a soft giggle, amused by his disoriented state.

"You're in my room. And, hmm, it's just about 10 o'clock," she chimed, setting down a glass of water and a bowl of oatmeal on the nightstand. "I know this isn't much, but it's light so it'll be good for your headache."

"Th- Thanks, but how do you know I have a headache?" Yuuya immediately gulped the entire glass of water down and started making his way to the oatmeal.

"I just figured you would, after... after all the drinks you had last night," Aya stated, awkwardly looking away. She recalled his strange behavior from last night. "You really worried me, you know."

Yuuya looked at the angelic being before him. There he was, sleeping on her bed, taking up space in her room, eating her food, and causing her a burden. Yet, she was always so kind. Aya never failed to comfort him. He wanted so much for her to take care of him like this forever.

"You know, Nii—"

"Yuuya," the boy directly and promptly said to her. Aya's eyes lit up in surprise.

"E- Excuse me?" she asked, a bit surprised.

"Yuuya. You can just call me Yuuya," he explained. Aya blinked a few times upon his request. Her lips parted, but a sound didn't escape for a few moments.

"Ah... Yu- Yuuya," she slowly said, as if it were some new foreign word that she had just learned. "Yuuya-kun."

This did it. He set the bowl down and, in one swift movement, pulled Aya towards him onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her small figure.

"Ehh? What are you—" Aya struggled to free herself from his firm hold.

"Say it again," he whispered to her. "Say my name again." She calmed down a bit, but flushed hysterically due to being so close to his face.

"Yuuya-kun," she softly repeated, granting his request. _'Nii- er,_ _Yuuya-kun... is so handsome.'_

It's not like it took her long to realize this. She had always known that the best friend of her boyfriend was undoubtedly gorgeous. Every girl in Tokyo would do anything to make him theirs. She had always been fond of him, but her emotional attachment to Rei was just much stronger since the beginning. Nonetheless, she was captivated by Yuuya at this moment; she _was_ human, after all.

Yuuya had to admit it— he loved the sound of his name on Aya's lips. Her sweet, gentle voice enunciating his name for the very first time was perfect to him. Mami was always so direct— never had she once called him "Nii" but she had never called him "Yuuya-kun" either. It was just plain, old "Yuuya" since the beginning with Mami, and it kind of intimidated him, a bit. She skipped all the formalities and went straight to being intimate with him.

"Can you do that?" Yuuya asked softly, barely inches away from Aya's face. "Can you just call me by my name?" Aya gulped, nervous all of a sudden.

"Y- Yes," she nodded. Suddenly realizing how close Aya had been, Yuuya reluctantly let her go. She took a step back and looked away, her angelic face covered in an intense blush. It kind of please him to know he had that type of effect on her.

He knew this was wrong. Showing up to her house late at night, drunk as all hell. Sleeping in her bed. Being so close to her like this. She was his best friend's girlfriend. And although they were on rocky grounds, he _did_ have a girlfriend of his own. He knew this was all utterly and undeniably wrong of him.

Yet, being with Aya just felt so right.

**o0o0o0o**

"Ran! Miyuu!" Aya shouted as she stepped onto the hot sandy surface of Isshiki Beach, Rei close behind. It had been quite a few weeks since the gang's last beach trip, the last one being their graduation trip to Hawaii. Although Isshiki Beach was no Hawaii, Aya would still choose nature over city life any day.

"Oi! Aya!" Ran waved her hands, signaling her two friends to come over. Miyuu was standing by her, with Yamato and Tatsuki skim-boarding on the water. Aya ran towards her friends, not even realizing how excited she was.

"Aya! You're finally here!" Miyuu exclaimed while hugging her best friend.

"Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Aya returned the hug.

"I know," Miyuu blushed, holding her face in her hands. She looked over at Yamato lovingly. "I'm still getting adjusted to the married life."

"You're so lucky," Aya looked back at Rei, who was slowly approaching, and couldn't help but feel a bit envious. Don't get her wrong, Aya was completely content with how things were with Rei. This was the most stable their relationship had ever been, but she couldn't help that a storm was brewing...

"Aya-chan," a voice called out, snapping the brunette out of her thoughts. She spun around to see the handsome face, broad shoulders, and toned chest of a certain second placer.

"Yuu.. Yuuya-kun," she slightly blushed at his presence, not even realizing that he had been here the entire time. It had been about a week since their last encounter at Aya's house.

"Hey Nii," Ran called out. "Where's Mami-rin?"

"Ehh, she's really busy this summer what with her own shop in 'Bukuro," he stated, never taking his eyes off of Aya. She was only wearing a pink and white striped bikini with a straw summer hat, and suddenly felt very self-conscious. Luckily, Rei arrived and came to the rescue.

"Yo," Rei coolly greeted his friend. Yuuya simply looked away nodded his head. Without a word, he went towards the water to join Yamato and Tatsuki on the skim boards. Rei shrugged his shoulders, not really caring about Yuuya's dismissiveness.

"I'm going to go into the water, Rei-kun," Aya said as Miyuu motioned for her to join the rest of them. "You coming?"

"Nah, I'm just going to set up the blanket and umbrella."

"Alright then," she sweetly smiled as she ran over towards the group who was currently laughing at Tatsuki, who had just slipped off of his skim-board. As Rei looked on at Aya, he noticed that he was not the only one watching her. In the distance, Yuuya was intently watching Aya as she approached the group. "Tch," he scoffed, but decided to let it go.

It annoyed him, he wasn't going to lie about that much. Yuuya had been keeping his eye on Aya when he had his own girlfriend. Where the hell had Mami been anyway? He wished she would just show up and put the tight leash around Yuuya's neck once again.

As Rei finished setting up the umbrella, he heard his best friend's voice call out to Aya.

"Ne, Aya-chan, do you want to go get some snow cones?" Yuuya asked. Aya looked at him, as if she was unsure.

"Eh... well, sure, why not? Let's go Yuuya-kun," she smiled softly at him. She thought about asking Rei, but remembered that he wasn't too fond of sweet things, so she decided against. it.

_'What the hell?'_ Rei thought as he overheard their conversation._ 'When did she start calling him by his name?'_ Yeah, it bothered him, but Rei, being himself, just quickly shook it off and tried to pretend he thought nothing of it. However, he was really starting to become ticked off, though he didn't want to admit it.

Meanwhile, at the snow cone stand, Yuuya was trying to ease the awkward tension between him and Aya. He knew that showing up to her house drunk last week made her uncomfortable. He could tell she was just trying to forget about it, but he could see right through her, by how fidgety she was acting.

"I'll have mango please," she smiled at the snow-cone clerk, who was an old man with a grey mustache.

"My, my. What a beautiful young lady," said the old man who, then, turned to Yuuya. "You're quite a lucky boy, aren't you?"

"Ehh? N- No, I'm not her boyfriend," Yuuya said nervously. He was a bit sad at the statement he just said.

"Well, then what are you waiting for, young man?" the man asked, chuckling. Aya blushed in embarrassment and took her snow cone, trying to get out of this situation as quick as possible.

"W- Well, we should get back to everyone now," Aya stuttered, obviously a bit fidgety. She started pacing away quickly from the snow cone stand.

"Wait, Aya-chan!" Yuuya grabbed his lychee-flavored snow cone and chased after Aya, who was already some distance away. She sure was fast, Yuuya thought. Wait... what was that thing ahead of Aya? He started running towards her. "Aya-chan, stop! You're about to step on a crab!"

"What?" she suddenly screeched to a halt in panic, for she did not even spot the clawed creature. Yuuya, who was now close behind, bumped into her as she suddenly stopped, sending them both to fall down on the sandy ground.

At this point, both of their snow cones were on the ground, rolled in sand. Aya was on her back, with Yuuya hovering above her.

"Ouch..." Aya whimpered. Yuuya was gripping her wrist tightly. He was mesmerized by her beauty. Her eyes were big and dark. Her face was pale but held a slight red blush due to the heat. Her collarbones were prominent and her chest was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

_'Dammit. She's gorgeous...'_ he inwardly thought as weird feelings started to stir inside him.

"Yuuya. What do you think you're doing?"

Shit. A low, cool voice. A voice he was all too familiar with, ever since junior high. He looked up and peered through his bangs, only to see the great Otohata Rei.

"O- Oh, Rei," Yuuya got up and brushed the sand off of his arms and legs. Aya sat up slowly and held her head, which she hit pretty hard on the ground. "Ah, Aya-chan, are you alri—"

Before Yuuya could help Aya up, Rei had already beaten him to it. She groaned as Rei helped her up, her head swooning from the dizziness.

"Aya! Are you alright?" Miyuu came running down towards the three. Luckily, she was the only one who witnessed the ordeal.

"I- I'm fine," she lied, still holding her head. She tried to smile.

"Yamazaki," Rei called out. "Help Aya back and get her some ice for her head."

"But, Rei-kun, I'm alright. No need to—"

"Just go." Rei's tone was curt and firm. Aya knew better than to go against him now. Miyuu nodded and put her arm around Aya's waist to help support her.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Rei spat at Yuuya once the two girls were out of hearing distance.

"it was an accident, Rei." Yuuya was admittedly a bit intimidated by his best friend. He started blurting things out with no filter, all of a sudden. "Everything was. When I held her for the first time at the train station. When I showed up to her house drunk last week— it was all an accident."

"What?" Rei was shocked at what he was hearing. "Yuuya, Why?"

"Because," Yuuya paused. He looked at the intensity in Rei's eyes. He knew Rei could probably kill him, or at least inflict some major injuries on him, but he had to be open with him. He had to say what he was about to say. He was his best friend, after all. He deserved the truth. "Because I— I like Aya."

Without a word of reply, Rei clenched his fist and sent a potent blow to Yuuya's face, causing him to face the sandy ground for the second time that day.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Three - Conflict: End.**

**Siopao: **Yikes! Please review, my lovely readers. It'll help me to update quicker!


	4. Impact

**Siopao:** _(06/10/2013)_ Thanks to those who reviewed my last chapter, including: 'Guest', Alice Jane, dana05 & Payi1024. You guys seriously rock! For the previous chapter, some may have found it strange that Yuuya confessed to Rei that he liked Aya. But I think that Yuuya, being the good and honest friend that he is, would actually be very likely to do something like that! Please continue to support my fanfic. -bows-

**Disclaimer:** I don't own GALS!, or its characters. Plot's mine.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Four - Impact**

**By: Screaming Siopao**

"I can't believe you, Yuuya!" A flustered Mami Honda held back her tears as she clenched her fists. She paced back and forth angrily as she stomped on the luxuriously carpeted floors of her bedroom.

"If you would just give me time to explain myself—" he inched closer towards her carefully, but was stopped when she launched a pillow from her bed at him.

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses. You lied to me, Yuuya! You said that she was just a friend!"

"And she is, Mami. Aya is still _just_ a friend," Yuuya defended. And this much _was_ true, after all.

"A friend that you like!" she spat.

Yuuya was silent.

It was two days ago when he admitted to Rei that he liked his girlfriend, the beautifully intelligent Aya Hoshino. His jaw still somewhat hurt from the anticipated punch Rei threw at him and he rubbed it for the umpteenth time in attempts to soothe it. Why had he done it? He still wasn't quite sure. He had expected that kind of reaction from Rei; although his best friend was quite reserved, he remembered him to be very defensive and possessive of what he considered to be his. And, of course, Mami was bound to find out about the whole incident at the beach and, when she did, she went absolutely _ballistic_. Well, she had the right to, right? Yuuya _was_ her beloved boyfriend.

"I trusted you, Yuuya." Her tone had calmed down a bit now but she looked at him with a greatly pained expression. This look hurt Yuuya more than any other word she spat at him.

"I know, Mami. I don't expect you to forgive me." An earnest and humble statement.

"I deserve someone who will love me wholeheartedly." She stared at him blankly. "And I thought it was you."

"I'm sorry. I really am. You deserve all of that," he whispered. "I'm not worthy."

Mami chuckled.

"And to think, I always predicted that if you ever had feelings for another woman that it would be Kotobuki," she scoffed. "Yuuya, I think we need time apart."

"W- Wait, why? Mami, please—"

"It's too late," she interjected. "I have a flight booked for Hong Kong tomorrow. I have investors who are willing to expand my boutique. It's a really great opportunity. At first, I was unsure, you know? Leaving everyone behind; leaving _you_ behind. But, after all of this, I think it's what we really need."

Yuuya was silent yet again. He knew she had been thinking of her store's expansion, but so soon? He should feel happy for her, right? This was a really good chance for a business person as young as Mami. He should be congratulating her. But for some reason, his heart ached just a little bit.

"W- Well," he finally spoke. "You know that I'll support you all the way." She faced him with a soft, sad smile that broke his heart.

"Thank you." She softly kissed him on his right cheek as he stood absolutely still. A silent and lonesome tear ran down her fair cheek. "Goodbye, Yuuya."

Mami turned around and looked out her window at the vast world before her. She soon would be out in that said world, fending for herself. She really wanted to escape this all. To escape another broken heart. To walk away from another malfunctioned relationship. And although she had to do it grudgingly, she wanted to leave Yuuya, her one true love.

**oOoOoOo**

Aya sipped on her cappuccino, keeping her eyes on the pages of her book the whole time. She was sitting in a bookstore cafe with Rei just across the table. She cast her eyes from the dull, beige pages and peered over at him, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"What is it?" his low, cool tone broke her concentration. Her efforts to be unnoticed went in vain. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, that's not it, Rei-kun," she sheepishly said as she tried hiding her face with the large black book. It was about dolphin and whale neurological advancements, of course, for her fall term research paper. "It's just that... Well, are you still angry with me?"

Rei stared at her as he set his own book down on the wooden table. He didn't say a word and continued to hold a stoic face. Then, suddenly, a chuckle escaped his lips. Aya was shocked as his laughter did not cease.

"Eh? Rei-kun, what's so funny?"

"Idiot," he bantered. She pouted when he joked around and called her that. "Why would I be angry with you?"

"Well it's just that, ano, you haven't really been speaking with me the past few days and you seem so distant, and well, you know, that whole situation at the beach..."

"I've already forgotten all of that." A terrible lie. How could he forget Yuuya's words? He just didn't want to worry Aya. He knew she would get worked up if she found out that he and Yuuya still hadn't patched things up. He still hadn't even mentioned that Yuuya confessed his liking to Aya. It would only make her feel uncomfortable. He could only hope to keep him as far away from Aya as possible.

Or, could it be? The reason he didn't say anything about Yuuya's confession was because he thought that his best friend actually had a chance with Aya...?

_'No, no.'_ He shook his thinking away. _'Stop thinking like that, dammit.'_

"Well, if you say so, then I'm glad." She smiled sweetly.

"But from now on, you really have to tell me those types of things. Having him come over in the middle of the night drunk was crossing the line." He crossed his arms at the thought. It pissed him off a bit, though he'd never admit it out loud.

"Hai, Rei-kun. I'm sorry. I won't be careless and let those things slip again." She put her index finger to her chin in thought. "It's just that... I didn't think you would mind so much, since he's your best friend and all."

Rei looked away with a slight blush on his cheek, which Aya curiously noticed. It would have gone undetected if the observer were anyone else.

"Tch," he scoffed. "Of course I'd mind." He then took her hand that was on top of the table and played with her fingers. "I don't care who it is. You're only mine, okay?"

Aya's heart thumped like crazy. She stared at his strong hand that enveloped her own. Then, she looked up at his face, was was still turned away (probably due to embarrassment). She looked on at him for a while, realizing how childishly possessive he was being. It was as if she was a toy that he didn't want to share with anybody else. She giggled heartily.

"Hai, Rei-kun," she beamed brightly. Rei was captivated by how exhilarating it was.

"Well, it's just about 3 o'clock," he said while checking his black Tag Heuer wristwatch. "Work starts soon and we should head out." Aya nodded.

"It looks as though it might rain as well." She looked outside the vast cafe window to dark clouds hovering above Tokyo city. "And I forgot my umbrella, too."

"It's fine, I think you can make it home if we leave now," Rei suggested. The two stood up, exited the cafe, and bade their reluctant goodbyes.

"See you later, Rei-kun. Have a good night at work." She smiled her wonderful and charming smile— the smile that lit up an entire room.

He embraced her within his strong, loving arms. She blinked once, surprised by his sudden action.

"I want to keep you smiling like that," he said. His chin was resting on the top of her head with his arms protectively around her tiny waist.

She felt the warmth of his skin. The strength of his arms. The comfort of his hold. She took a breath of his scent— it was that ocean cologne that she loved on him so much. When she was with Rei like this, she felt like they were the only two people in the world.

In his arms, she was home.

**o0o0o0o**

"Ehh..." Aya held her warm, pinkish cheeks with both of her hands. She and Rei had just parted opposite directions and she walked home in a blissful daze. She was pacing along quickly on the sidewalk, seeing as the dark clouds had multiplied. "Rei-kun... is really the greatest guy ever." She smiled to herself while crossing a busy intersection.

As she was crossing with the sea of people, someone then roughly bumped into her while in her daze.

"Ah! Gomen! Sorry about that," she apologized, not realizing the bump had caused her to drop her wallet on the street. The person just kept on walking along with the large flow of people, not wanting to stop, lest they get trampled on.

Not too far away, a certain corn-haired boy was walking on the sidewalk, reflecting on what happened between him and Mami earlier that day.

"I guess she's really done with a guy like me, huh?" Yuuya sighed as he felt a raindrop fall on his nose. "I feel pretty depressed. I might just end up at Koji-san's bar again, somehow..."

A few feet away from where he stood, there she was, amongst the crowd. Aya was vigorously looking through her purse in front of the canned drink machine, trying to search for her wallet.

"Ah... Aya-chan," Yuuya whispered as he started walking towards her. He honestly felt terrible at the moment. He needed consolation; he sought advice and perhaps a shoulder to lean on. He wanted to talk someone as soon as possible, and even better if it was Aya. She was always good at cheering him up. Suddenly, however, she quickly spun around and ran towards the intersection she just crossed. _'What's she doing?'_

"Oh! There it is," Yuuya heard her exclaim as she spotted her little pink wallet laying on the ground. "I really need to get that..."

Aya took one step onto the street, not realizing the signal for her to cross was red. She quickly paced toward the center of the intersection as the raindrops quickly began to fall.

"Aya-chan, stop!" Yuuya tried getting through the crowd, but it was just too thick. He couldn't stop her.

"Ah, good thing nobody stole it." Aya picked up her wallet from the ground, suddenly realizing no one else was crossing with her. "Hm? Wait a min—"

Suddenly, a loud horn was blaring into her eardrums.

A bright light was blinding her vision.

A voice— a man's voice— was shouting at her. She felt her feet leave the ground for just a fraction of a second. Her body was lunged backwards, then she hit the ground hard. There was a man hovering above her. The rain was pouring now.

"Yu... Yuuya-kun?" she recognized it was him after a few seconds. She felt a pain in her back from the impact with the ground. She looked around her. What had just happened? There was a truck a few feet away.

"Aya-chan, a- are you okay?" he asked her roughly. He was panting and there was thin layer of sweat on his face. It all pieced together in Aya's mind.

_'Yuuya-kun... saved me?'_ tears were forming in her eyes due to shock. She bit her lip to stop the sobbing. She couldn't believe how careless she had been to cross the street like that. She put both her life and another's in jeopardy.

"Don't cry, Aya-chan." He tried to hold her closer to him but cringed when his left arm wouldn't respond. "Ugh," he winced in pain.

"Your arm is hurt!" she panicked. "I'm so sorry, Yuuya-kun," Aya softly cried while burying her face in her hands. He lifted her face with his mobile arm.

"As long as you're fine, then I'm glad." He smiled weakly. In the distance, Aya heard sirens. One of the many onlookers of the accident must have called the paramedics. She sighed with relief, feeling a slight bit calmer.

Yuuya had risked his life to save her. And though she was shaking both due to the coldness of the rain and the shock of the incident, her heart felt somewhat warm. She was so thankful to have a friend like Yuuya. Aya would be forever indebted to him.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Four - Impact: End.**

_**Siopao:** _Please, please review if you read this. If you're an author yourself, you'd know how much a single review helps! Domo!


	5. Goldfish

**Siopao:** _(06/28/2013)_ Thank you to Payi1024, Alice Jane, CuteBubbles, & Dana05 for your continued support and reviews. -teardrop-

**Disclaimer:** I don't own GALS!, or its characters. Plot's mine.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Five - Goldfish**

**By: Screaming Siopao**

The sky was a dark grey canvas that allowed not even one sliver of sunshine to penetrate its barrier. The rain outside continued to pour relentlessly, not giving up its intensity for even a fraction of a second. A flash of lightning temporarily illuminated the dimly-lit room. Somewhere in the distance, a grumbling series of thunder rolled angrily like a monster.

"Yuuya-kun," Aya sobbed softly. The gloomy weather very much fit her miserable mood. Her corn-haired friend was sitting up on a hospital cot while she sat on a stool beside him. "I'm so sorry."

"Aya-chan, don't cry." He extended his right, mobile arm and cupped her cheek. He used his thumb to wipe her tears away. "I'm fine. You heard the doctor, he said my left arm will be fine in a week or two, then the cast will be removed."

"But if I had just waited to cross the street, this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault."

"I would much rather have a slightly fractured ulna than no Aya-chan." He smiled. "I was glad to be there at the right time."

"Demo, Yuuya-kun..."

"Aya! Nii!" Ran busted through the door with commotion. The brunette gal spun around to find her fiery-haired friend, followed by Tatsuki and Miyuu.

"Aya-ppe! Brotha!" the monkey boy copied his girlfriend's noisy actions.

"Shh, quiet down, you two," the mild-mannered Miyuu tried to hush her boisterous friends. "This is a hospital!"

"Ah... guys, you came," Yuuya softly spoke. He looked at the clock on the wall: it as 7:28 in the evening and visiting hours would be over at eight o'clock. A few seconds later, in came the great Rei Otohata himself, surprising both Aya and Yuuya.

"Rei-kun, I thought you were at work?"

"Don't look so surprised." He put a hand on top of her head. "Of course I'd come here for an emergency. Are you hurt at all, Aya? I heard about the truck," Rei said with worry, much to everyone's astonishment.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. It was Yuuya-kun who saved me and got hurt."

Rei looked over at his supposed best friend who was sitting on the cot. Up till now, he was still pretty pissed with him for confessing that he liked Aya. But if it weren't for Yuuya, his girlfriend would most likely be critically injured or even, sad to say, _dead_. Rei swallowed his pride and held his hand out to Yuuya.

"Thanks," Rei simply blurted. Yuuya stared at his friend's hand for a moment, smiled, and shook Rei's outstretched hand.

"No need for gratitude. You would have done the same," Yuuya humbly stated.

"If there's anything at all I can do to repay you, Yuuya-kun, please let me know," Aya said in desperation.

"Oh, n- no, don't worry about it Aya-chan, I don't need—"

"Ooh, Aya! I know!" Ran suddenly interjected. "There's going to be a summer festival this weekend. You should take Nii!"

"Hmm, Miyuu doesn't know if Nii should go in that bad state," their blonde gal pointed out.

"I agree with Yamazaki," Rei added. However, he believed that Aya shouldn't go with Yuuya for different reasons.

"It'll be fine!" Ran said. "They'll just be walking around anyway."

"Aya-ppe, you can wear a cute yukata to make brotha feel better!" Tatsuki added.

"Ah, but I—" Aya was about to object, until Yuuya interrupted her.

"I think a festival sounds fun. I'm looking forward to it, since I'll be stuck inside for the rest of this week, anyway."

"Really?" Aya asked. "Is that okay?"

"If... If Rei will give us his kind permission." Yuuya and Aya both turned to the raven-haired boy. There was no reply from him after a while.

Rei sighed.

"I don't care. Go ahead," he bluntly complied.

"Really?" Aya and Yuuya asked together.

"Yoshi! It's settled then!" Ran exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

Rei really didn't want them to go together, obviously. In actually, he wanted to say no to the request. But, Yuuya did a really amazing feat by saving Aya. Any other boyfriend would be bowing at Yuuya's feet with gratitude by now. It was probably the least he could do. It would just be for one night anyway, right? And if he trusted anyone, it was Aya.

**o0o0o0o**

Yuuya was waiting on a bench at the entrance of the festival by himself that Saturday night. It was already seven o' clock in the evening and he had been waiting for about ten minutes now.

_'Hmm, maybe I got here too early,' _he thought as he fiddled with the cast on his left arm._ 'Jeez, I really hate this thing...'_

"Yuuya-kun?" a familar bell-like voice called out to him. He immediately stood up and turned around to face his friend.

"Ah, Aya-chan you're here—" he turned around and froze as he stared at the stunning girl before him.

She wore a light pink yukata with red and white flower accents. The sash at her waist, which tied into a bow at the back, was also red. Her hair was thrown up in an elegant bun and was decorated by pink sakura flowers that matched the blush of her rosy cheeks. With the sun setting behind her, she looked absolutely beautiful.

"Eh? Does this color not suit me that much?" Aya asked after a few seconds of the corn-haired boy staring at her.

"N- No, it's not like that at all! You look great..."

"Hontou? Thank you." She slightly blushed.

"Shall we enter now?"

"Un!" she nodded.

He looked at the lovely girl beside him as they entered the festival. He couldn't believe he could go on a date with a girl so lovely as Aya Hoshino. A few guys even glared at him for having such a gorgeous girl with him. He really felt lucky, up until he realized that Aya wasn't even really his girlfriend. He sighed. He quickly shook off the disappointing thought and focused on having a good night.

As they further ventured into the lively summer festival, they could smell the strange yet invigorating mix of fried foods and the sweetness of all of the candy. The lights were vibrant as the sky began to change from orange to purple to dark blue. The stars emerged and blinked across the twilight sky.

As Aya continued to walk, she saw something that caught her eye.

"Ah! Kingyo sukui!" she exclaimed as she saw a huge white vat filled with fish.

"Eh?" Yuuya asked. "Goldfish scooping? You like that, Aya-chan?"

"I'm not particularly good at it but its really fun."

"Then go ahead and try until you catch a goldfish," Yuuya encouraged her. She nodded with confidence.

She took the paper scoop and bowl provided to her by the booth runner and intently tried capturing a fish.

"Ah... goldfish really are fast." Her eyebrows creased with focus.

"You almost have it, just a bit slower," Yuuya advised as he knelt down next to her. He held her hand that held the scoop and tried to guide her to the goldfish. A prominent red blush swept across her fair face as she felt his hot breath on her neck.

'_Why is my heart beating so fast? Get a grip, Aya!' _She shook off the strange nervous feeling in her chest and focused her attention to the goldfish. She felt much more at ease when Yuuya released her hand. _  
_

She pouted as she broke the delicate paper scoop on her first try. "One more, please!" she said to the man.

As Yuuya stared on at the girl before him, he couldn't help but be in awe at her innocence. He couldn't believe that this was the girl that was broken so many times by the ice-cold Rei Otohata. This was the same girl who cried rivers for that man. Yet, here she was, smiling and having fun more than ever and showing no signs of a broken girl.

This one summer's day, he noticed all the more how beautiful she truly was.

This one summer's day, he realized how much of a strong person she grew up to be.

This one summer's day, he cursed himself, for he was starting to fall hard for her so quickly.

"Yes!" Aya exclaimed as she managed to catch a goldfish and place it into her bowl. She gave her fish to the man to put it into a bag.

"Congratulations," the man said as he handed her the bagged goldfish.

"Thank you!" she smiled happily. This smile made Yuuya smile as well. Her happiness was his happiness. "Look, Yuuya-kun!"

Before Aya knew it, Yuuya put his free arm around her and held her close. Her face was buried in his hard, chiseled chest and she could smell his intoxicating cologne, which was very different from Rei's. He smelled a bit like a big, refreshing cedar forest. It was calming to her and she inhaled it all in as if it were the last breath she was ever going to take. He bent his head down and whispered into her ear:

"Aya-chan, forgive me."

"F- For what?" Chills ran down her spine. His voice was so sultry. She felt a bit guilty for feeling pleasure in hearing him say her name like that.

"For what I'm about to do."

Yuuya then placed his lips on her cheek and softly kissed it. After a few silent moments, he pulled away only to see a shocked Aya, who was blusing profusely. He liked the fact that she reacted that way to him.

"W- What was that for, Yuuya-kun?" She placed her hand on the area on her right cheek that he kissed.

"Isn't it obvious?" he began. There was a bit of a pause. Suddenly, fireworks lit up the dark blue sky. The various colors reflected in Aya's chestnut eyes as Yuuya stared into them. She felt his big, strong hand caress her face and she instinctively leaned into his warmth. "Aya-chan, I really like you."

Her eyes grew wide with surprise. Somewhere in her heart, she speculated that he might have been developing feelings for her. Although Aya was a bit clueless when it came to things about love, she was a smart girl and knew how to pick up the little clues.

However, knowing that Yuuya had feelings for her wasn't what frightened her. What did scare her was that, somewhere inside of her, she thought that she could possibly reciprocate those feelings for him as well.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Five - Goldfish: End.**

_**Siopao:** _Please review. Thank you for your support.


	6. Ganbatte, Nii!

**Siopao:** _(07/02/2013)_ Only Dana05 reviewed chapter five (thanks so much, girl!), but that's fine~ I felt like doing an uber quick update, anyways. I've been listening to Daichi Miura's "Wakare no Bell" (_Bells of Farewell_) and it's really been giving me energy to write! Look it up on youtube. -winks-

**Disclaimer:** I don't own GALS!, or its characters. I only WISH I was Mihona Fujii-sama. -sobs-

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Six - Ganbatte, Nii!**

**By: Screaming Siopao**

She sat on the park bench— _their_ park bench— by herself. She kicked at the pebbles beneath her white sandals. The book in her hands was her only company all morning. Solitude was best for her at times like these. She had the time to ponder and think about things that she normally couldn't when she was around Ran or Miyuu. She would only trouble them with her burdensome thoughts.

A distressed sigh escaped her pink lips. Again, she held a hand up to her right cheek— the place where Yuuya planted an ever-so-gentle kiss on her last night.

"Yuuya-kun, why did you have to do that?" she whispered to nobody in particular. The park was empty, despite it already being just about noon. She had been sitting at the same spot just reading and thinking about the festival.

_"Isn't it obvious?" _Aya recalled Yuuya's words during the festival, right after she caught her goldfish. Fireworks of all colors danced in the night sky, illuminating Yuuya's handsome features. _"Aya-chan, I really like you."_

_'I must have looked like a fool just standing there, staring blankly at him. I'm pretty sure my mouth was hanging open.'_ She cursed herself for appearing like total idiot_. _

She remembered not knowing what to say. Or rather, there was a lump in her throat that resisted all her attempts of any form of speech.

_"B- But Mami-rin..." Somehow these few words seemed to eventually make their way out._

_"She's far away right now. She left for Hong Kong the day after the truck accident." _

_"Oh," Aya said, dumbfounded. 'I had no idea. No wonder I hadn't seen her around recently. I just thought they were fighting again.'_

_"You don't have to reply to me now. Just think about it, Aya-chan."_

Aya sighed heavily as she kicked a chunk of dirt and gravel underneathe her as she remembered the second placer's words.

_'Why on earth me?_

_I love Rei-kun, I really do. And I also love Yuuya-kun— he's one of my best friends. Possibly even my best friend who isn't a gal._

_He's done so much for me recently. He saved my life, after all. _

_He and I did always have a special connection. _

_I used to always encourage him to keep fighting for Ran, back then._

_I would cheer him up when he and Mami got into their arguments._

_And he was always there when I was hungover Rei in the past...'_

"Aya," a voice removed the daydreaming brunette from her trance-like thoughts. "Earth to Hoshino Aya."

"Huh?" she chirped with surprise. She looked up and found a very familiar pair of cobalt orbs. "O- Oh! Rei-kun, how did you—"

"I just knew you'd be here. I've been calling you and you didn't answer, so I got worried." He took a seat beside her with his hands in his pockets.

"I left my phone at home, I'm sorry," she playfully punched her head with her little fist. "Actually, I left my house keys inside, too. My parents are away until tomorrow and I can't get back inside."

"Idiot," Rei pinched her right cheek lightly. "But you managed to bring a book, of all things."

"Mou, Rei-kun, don't make fun of me." And although she acted like she was upset, a laugh managed to sneak its way out of her mouth.

"Have you been here long?"

"Hm, about an hour now."

"That means you're hungry. Come on," Rei stood up and offered his hand to his girlfriend. She brightly smiled and took hold of her beloved's hand, walking onwards to wherever he might lead her.

**oOoOoOo**

_To Mr. Asou Yuuya,_

_Please make your initial deposit for enrollment in order to hold your place for classes in the fall, seeing as positions are filling up quickly. If we do not receive payment by the end of July, we will assume your disinterest in enrollment to Rykkyo University. We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and that we will see you this upcoming fall term._

_Signed,_

_Jun Tabata_  
_Chairman of Undergraduate Admissions_  
_Rykkyo University_

Yuuya sighed at the letter he just opened. He sat nearby the police box in Shibuya by himself with a downcast look. He was planning to enroll at Rykkyo, which was located in Ikebukuro, up until he and Mami had their recent breakup. He knew that it was a good school that could open great opportunities for him but he still wasn't quite sure of his decision to go there. More recently, he was thinking of attending someplace closer to Tokyo University, where Aya would be attending. However, Rei would also be attending there as well.

"Ugh, maybe I should just move far away, like to Hokkaido or even Okinawa..." he groaned.

"Nii!" a peppy, upbeat voice called out to him. Yuuya looked up to see Miyuu carrying an obento box wrapped in a mint-green cloth. "How's your arm?"

"Oh, Miyuu-chan," he greeted with a small smile. "It's doing fine. I'm stuck with the cast for another week, but the doctor says I'm healing faster than expected."

"That's good news!" she exclaimed. "But it's rare to see you alone. Where's Mami-rin?"

"Ah..." he trailed off, with a distant look in his golden eyes. "About that."

**oOoOoOo**

"Are you alright?" Rei asked, an eyebrow raised. He and Aya were sitting in a quaint little cafe near the Hachiko statue.

"What?" Aya snapped out of her daze and realized that she was staring out of the huge cafe window. This was the second time today that Rei caught her head up in the clouds.

"I said, are you alright?" He eyed her plate of strawberry cheesecake. "You hardly even touched your favorite dessert."

"Ah, g- gomen. I was just thinking of things." She grabbed her fork and forced a bite of cheesecake, though she had pretty much lost her appetite.

"Well, you can tell me anything, you know." Rei sipped on his black tea. He was never much of a coffee person.

Aya looked down and didn't say a word. She fiddled with the hem of her coral, knee-length skirt.

_'I can't keep it hidden from Rei. I have to say it.'_ She mustered up whatever courage she could gather. However, when she opened her mouth to address the situation, Rei seemed to already have a grasp on her thoughts.

"Yuuya confessed to you, didn't he?" Rei suddenly blurted out, noticing her discomfort.

"E- Ehh?" Aya's eyes went wide. He already knew? "But how..."

"It's written all over your face, Aya." She blushed.

"Am I that obvious?" she whispered. A small chuckle reverberated in his chest.

"I guess I've just come to know these things about you."

She didn't say anything in return. Rei had really come to know her? Well, they've been dating for a while now, so it was understandable.

"Are you mad?"

"Hm?"

"About Yuuya-kun..."

"Ah." Rei sipped the last of his tea and set the mug down. He focused his eyes on the lovely girl's face in front of him, causing her to blush at his intense gaze. "He's an idiot but I trust whatever decision you decide to go with."

"D- Decision?"

"Yep. It's up to you."

"Rei-kun," she whispered timidly. She looked down at her lap yet again, nervous for some reason. "You... You know that it's always you." As soon as the words left her mouth, Aya mentally slapped herself for saying something so embarrassing. She shut her eyes and tightly gripped onto her poor skirt, dreading his response.

She then heard his seat scrape against the floor as he stood up and, much to her surprise, felt his strong hand cup her cheek. He hovered above her as his face was only a mere centimeter away from her's.

"That's good to know," he said with that heart-melting smirk. And then, he kissed the top of her head. Instantaneously, her face shot up with blood.

"R- Rei-kun, the customers are all looking," she stammered with both embarassment and happiness. Rei watched her in amusement as he stood himself up straight and let out a soft sigh.

"Well, it's just about time for me to go to work. Can you stay out of harm's way till I get out?"

"Mou, I'm not a child." She pouted. "But I'll be with Ran and Miyuu the rest of the day, so I'll be fine."

"Good. And Aya?"

"Hm?"

"Since you can't get into your house, just stay with me tonight, okay?"

"E- Eh? Wait—"

"Meet you back here at ten." And with that, Rei was out of the cafe's glass doors.

Aya pouted at Rei's dismissiveness. He probably knew that if he stayed any longer that she would object to his idea. She was just planning to stay at Miyuu's tonight. She sighed in distress as she gathered her belongings, thinking about what it would be like to spend a night with Rei.

**o0o0o0o**

"So that's how it is," Yuuya wrapped up the story that the blonde gal listened to all throughout. "Mami-chan is gone, I've confessed to Aya, and I feel like a major loser." He chuckled in self-pity.

"Ahh, so that would explain your fight with Rei on the beach that one day." Miyuu pointed her index finger onto her chin, putting the pieces together. Yuuya rubbed his jaw, still remembering the punch that his best friend launched at him and laughed.

"Rei was the one who did all the swinging, so I wouldn't exactly have called that a fight." No matter what, Yuuya just couldn't be angry with Rei's reaction that day, when he had confessed his crush on Aya.

"Well, Nii, you're not a loser," the pretty blonde stated, patting his back. "You've always been a passionate person and Aya is the type of person who sees that, so try your best. You two have always had a special bond." Suddenly, her eyes caught a certain brunette friend coming their way. Miyuu winked at Yuuya. "Ganbatte, Nii."

"Yuuya-kun, Miyuu!" Aya approached the two sitting in front of the HachiPori, noticing the wrapped box in her friend's hands. "Lunch for Yamato-san?"

"Un! I'm going inside to bring it to him now, so I'll catch you in a bit. Bye-bye!" She energetically waved at the two while skipping away.

"Ah, okay. Ja!" Aya feebly waved back. She sat next to Yuuya, feeling a bit nervous since she did not expect him to be there. She knew he was still waiting for a response to his confession.

"Yamato-san sure is lucky," Yuuya spoke. "He has a cute wife to bring him bento every day." Aya nodded with a smile.

"I admire Miyuu. I hope I can be a good wife like her, someday."

"I'm sure you'll make a fine wife."

"Hontou?" She blinked. "You really think so?"

Yuuya stood up and stretched his mobile arm as the warm sun's rays beat down on his young face. He then turned around and flashed Aya a dashing smile that made some high school girls in the distance squeal with infatuation.

"Of course. The guy who ends up marrying Aya-chan is extremely lucky."

"A- Ah, that's saying too much." She looked flustered and Yuuya took a bit of enjoyment in that.

_'Even if that guy doesn't end up being me... but I won't back down without a fight.'_

He bent over and put his face so close to hers that she could feel his warm breath. "You look a bit tired. My confession didn't keep you up all night, did it?"

"Ehh?" Aya blushed. "N- No! Don't tease me like that, Yuuya-kun." She shielded her face with both of her hands in order to hide her embarrassment. Yuuya placed his finger on her chin in order to tilt her face up.

"I can show you, Aya-chan." There was a determination in Yuuya's eyes. A fire that burned with a conviction that Aya had never seen before. Yuuya's golden orbs were always so gentle and fluid. This time, they were _bold_. "I can show you that you can find a way to love me, too."

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Six - Ganbatte, Nii!: End.**

_**Siopao:**_ Thank you for your support. Reviews inspire me!


	7. Homewrecker

**Siopao: **_(07/24/2013)_ Thanks for reviewing: dyalicious, dana05, and guest! Means so much! Sorry for a later update than usual! I've been busy with summer adventuring and moving out of Jersey into Philly. Such tough work! Anyways, enjoy this chappie~

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Gals!_ or its characters.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Seven - Homewrecker**

**By: Screaming Siopao**

_"Aya-chan, don't be afraid."_

Hm? I open my eyes and blink a bit before I can make out who the speaker is. Ah, I can see someone. It's Yuuya-kun's face right in front of mine.

_"Yuuya-kun?"_ I say as I reach my hand out to touch him. I feel like I'm floating. Where am I? Why does he look so hazy?

Ah, I see. I'm dreaming. This is strange; I'm aware that I'm not awake. It's a funny sort of feeling.

_"Don't be afraid,"_ he repeats, reaching to take my own face into his hands. I feel myself blush. I hope that I'm not blushing in real life, too.

_"Of what?"_

_"Don't be afraid,"_ he whispers one last time as he leans in closer and closer to plant a kiss on my lips...

"Ah!" Aya broke away from her slumber and shot up from the bed that she was in. The plain, grey covers shocked her and it surprised her that she was in a bed that was not her own. Ah, that's right. She slept at Rei's house for the night, of course, in a separate room from him.

"Oh. You're up." She looked up to find the owner of the low voice who, at the time, was currently topless. His hair also looked a bit damp and tousled. Aya had never seen him appear this way before.

"Rei-kun. G-Good morning." A cherry-red blush instantaneously shot up to her face. She looked down in embarrassment.

"Sorry. I just got out of the shower. Didn't mean to wake you." He nonchalantly walked over to his closet to grab a shirt, not knowing what he was doing to poor Aya's insides.

"This is one intense way to wake up," Aya mumbled, trying to smoothen down her hair. She recalled her dream and subconsciously touched her lips. _'Whew, woke up just in time. That was close.'_ She felt a bit silly for feeling relieved about something that almost happened in a _dream_.

"Hungry?" Rei asked as he pulled a dark blue short-sleeve button-up from his closet. He put his arms through the sleeves but proceeded to walk around the room without buttoning it. Oh how Aya just wished he would button it already! She didn't know how much more of it she could take.

"Not really," she tried looking away as her heart continued to pound away in her chest. Suddenly, there was an added weight on the bed.

"You alright?" he asked as he sat beside her, leaning in to examine her face. "My bed wasn't too uncomfortable, was it?"

"Eh? N- No! It was perfect!" She looked down and tried shutting her eyes, but the sight of his well-defined chest was so alluring to her. _'Darn it, don't stare, you dumb girl!'_

"Alright, if you say so," he said as he got up and started buttoning his shirt, much to Aya's relief. She would never admit however that she also felt a bit disappointed. "So today, I was thinking we could—"

There was a sudden buzz of a cell phone sitting on Rei's lamp stand. Aya grabbed the phone, not knowing she had mistakenly took Rei's, since both of theirs were situated at the same spot.

"Hm?" Aya chirped as she read an unfamiliar name on the display screen. "M- Miku?" She wondered who it could have been.

Rei spun his head around at the sound of the name and walked over to Aya, who was still holding the phone.

"Ah, that's a coworker," he explained as he took his phone and read through the message. "The DJ for today's event got sick. They need someone to fill in."

"I'm guessing that someone would be you?" Aya rose from the bed and stretched her legs. A somewhat let-down look was apparent on her face.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." He scratched the back of his head. She smiled weakly.

"It's okay, Rei-kun." She held his hand in both of hers. "It's just... you've been working an awful lot. More than usual, actually. I just feel bad because you've been working so hard.."

"Hn. Yeah. If it means anything, I'm sorry." He patted her head softly and her disappointed look soon turned into a bright smile.

"It's alright! I'm just glad that I was able to see Rei first thing in the morning."

"Ack," he gagged a bit, jokingly of course. "Don't say such things."

She tilted her head to the side, laughed that bell-like laugh of hers, and Rei just found it so sweet that he took her in his arms and kissed the top of her head in absolute adoration for this girl.

**o0o0o0o**

"Eh..." Aya stood in her kitchen as she timidly wrapped an apron around her waist. Before her were several ingredients such as rice, eggs, tako, hot dogs, pickled plum, and nori. "I really have no experience when it comes to cooking and such. I'm not like Miyuu at all, huh?"

She picked up some oil and poured a bit into a frying pan for a start. She cracked a few eggs into a bowl in order to make some fried eggs.

"But I really want to make obento for Rei-kun. He works so hard. He deserves lunch from this useless mole." She thought about how great of a wife Miyuu was. Would she ever reach that level? Would she ever even come _close_ to preparing such mouthwatering dishes? She thought about what Yuuya said the day before: "_I'm sure you'll make a fine wife... The guy who ends up marrying Aya-chan is extremely lucky."_

"Ack, why am I remembering such things all of a sudden?" She quickly shook off Yuuya's words, though they somewhat made her heart thump.

She poured the eggs in the frying pan but a bit of the hot oil splattered onto her hand. She flinched with pain as she quickly pulled back her hand. She could tell this was going to take a while.

"I have to keep trying, for Rei-kun's sake. Ganbatte, Aya!" she said to herself as she balled her small hands into determined fists.

**o0o0o0o**

Today was an especially hot summer day. It was already mid-July and the muggy heat added to Aya's nervousness as she walked the perpetually busy streets of Shibuya.

She walked up to the doors of Rei's workplace and paused. In her hands was a small bento box, wrapped in a light blue cloth adorned with little floral designs. She took in a deep breath as she stepped forward.

"Now or never," she whispered to herself, creasing her eyebrows with resolution clear in her bright, hazelnut eyes.

As she entered the sliding doors, she was immediately greeted by the cold air-conditioning that gladly kissed her warm cheeks.

"Hm, I wonder where Rei-kun is." She climbed a set of stairs and arrived at a door which was labeled, "Audio Room." She figured that it was worth a try, so she approached it and reached for the doorknob. However, just as she was about to turn it, she heard two voices on the other side, only one of which was familiar to her.

"Rei, thanks for filling in for Kenji today. You're a lifesaver!" Aya heard a girl speaking in the room. She put her ear closer to the door in order to hear better.

"Ah, it's nothing, really. I wasn't really doing anything." Stab.

_'He... wasn't really doing anything?'_ Aya thought to herself. _'I guess I'm still burdensome to Rei-kun after all.' _Aya quickly shook the depressing thought away. She told herself to never doubt Rei again, ever since that rumor between him and Ran.

"Well, I'm glad," the girl continued. Her voice was sultry and flirtatious. Aya couldn't see, but she could tell that she was probably really close to, or even touching, Rei. She bit her bottom lip and creased her eyebrows, annoyed at the tone of the flirty girl speaking to Rei. "I was really hoping that you would say yes to filling in. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to do the job."

"Like I said, it's nothing, Miku."

"A- Ah. That name, Miku. She's the one who messaged Rei-kun this morning," Aya whispered to herself, finding everything to be a little bit suspicious.

"Well," Miku continued. "I actually could have had Shino or Yuki come in for replacements. But there's just something I'd been dying to tell you." Aya could hear a few footsteps shuffling in the room. She didn't like where this sitatuation was going— not one bit. "I know you have a girlfriend, but it can't be too serious with that plain girl right?"

"You mean Aya?"

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, I really am attracted to you. I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight. I... I like you a lot, Rei."

Aya couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was this girl really confessing to Rei, with the knowledge that he already was taken? She couldn't take it much longer. Without any more hesitation, Aya twisted the doorknob in her hands and invited herself in, as if she hadn't just heard their entire conversation.

However, once she entered the room, Aya soon wished she hadn't walked in at all, for what she saw was something she had always dreaded.

Before her, another woman was intimately enveloped by Rei's protective arms.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Seven - Homewrecker: End.**

**Siopao: **please review, my lovely readers!


	8. Bitterness

**Siopao: **_(07/28/2013)_ Thanks for reviewing: euntan & dyalicious! I really appreciate it & was inspired to update quicker because of your reviews. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Gals!_ or its characters.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Eight - Bitterness**

**By: Screaming Siopao**

I ran. I ran as fast as I could, not quite sure which destination I had in mind. I just... ran. Anywhere would be fine. Anywhere but _here_.

Miku. I had seen that girl before. I recall she had given concert tickets to Rei a while ago, back when he and I first started dating. I remembered that at that time, too, I felt envied by how close she was to Rei. She had long, wavy blonde hair. It was gorgeous, really. She was a cute girl, way cuter than I could ever be.

I wish I could unsee what I just saw.

I wish I hadn't opened that door.

I wish I didn't have to see the love of my life holding another woman the way he should be holding me.

But I can't undo any of it. I'll just have to keep running.

**o0o0o0o**

Shit, who was that who just opened the door? I look towards the entrance but there isn't anybody there. The door is wide open, so it couldn't just have been a mere draft. I push Miku off of me and dash toward the staircase to see if I can catch who it was. I have a bad feeling about this.

"Wait, Rei! Where are you going?" I hear Miku's voice behind me. I ignore her. What the hell? Why did she suddenly jump on me like that earlier anyway? And right after a strange confession, too. It must be that her horomones are unbalanced. She usually isn't like that; I can't believe she's just been another one of those raging female fans of mine all this time. All they want to do is get in my pants.

I reach the bottom of the stairs and spot a familiar brunette with long locks leaving through the sliding glass doors. _Dammit_. It was really Aya. I start chasing after her, that is, until I hear Miku's voice nagging right behind me yet again.

"Rei, you can't leave during your shift!" she yells out at me as she runs down the stair case. Once she reaches the bottom step, she purposefully trips herself onto me, causing me to catch her. Geez, this girl sure is persistent. Her face is close to mine and she intentionally pushes her breasts onto my torso. "And plus," she purrs whoreishly. "You still haven't given me an answer to our date tonight."

"The answer is no," I briskly reply as I push this disgusting girl off of me. "And like hell I'll stay the rest of my shift here with you. Get someone else to fill in. I'm leaving."

I run out through the doors and as I do so, I can hear Miku fuming with rage at how no man has ever resisted her before. Apparently, I'm going to regret it, or so she says.

**o0o0o0o**

Aya sat by the HachiPori Station with the untouched, uneaten bento box in her idle hands. This meal took well over an hour for her to prepare since several of her failed attempts made their way into the trash. This finished product was the closest thing she considered to be a decent meal.

"What am I supposed to do with this thing now?" she asked herself with a dissapointed sigh. She eyed a public waste bin a few feet away. "I suppose that it's a good thing he couldn't get a chance to eat this. No one in the world should be forced to eat such a disgusting thing made by a useless mole. I'm sure it tastes terrible." She slowly got up from her seat on the bench and made her way to the trash can. Just as she outstretched her arm and was about to release the obento, a strong hand, as if on cue, took hold of her frail wrist.

"And just what do you think you're about to do with that?" a familiar voice called out. She had been hearing this voice far too often recently; it was comforting to her and she was glad he was here.

"Yuuya-kun," she almost-inaudibly mouthed. She spun around to face her guest. There was no smile; there was no bell-like laughter. The regular spark in her eyes was missing.

It almost broke Yuuya's heart to see her looking like that. He assumed that a misunderstanding must have happened between her and Rei again, and that this obento was somewhat related to the incident.

"Say," he goofily said as he scratched the back of his head. "Do you know where I could get a delicious homecooked bento?"

Aya eyed the box in her hand and wordlessly raised her arm yet again, this time to offer the lunch to her friend. He gladly took and and strode over to the bench Aya previously sat on, with the brunette gal following slowly behind like a helpless duckling.

As Yuuya took the first bite of the meal, Aya looked onward at him with curious orbs, anticipating his initial reaction to her first ever homecooked meal.

"_Amai!_" he exclaimed as he chewed on her tako musubi. "This is amazing, Aya-chan. You cooked this yourself?" Aya silently nodded, an almost-invisible blush making its way onto her cheek. "You've got some talent then. I can't believe this almost went to waste," he said as he continued to eat the fried egg and umeboshi wrapped with dried nori seaweed.

As Aya looked on at Yuuya, she couldn't help but feel so much gratitude towards this person while also feeling so much pity for herself. How many more times would he have to comfort her troubled soul? Yuuya always seemed to know when she was down in the dumps, which she realized was quite often. He always came to save her at the most opportunistic times. Somehow, he could just read the air about her and pick her up. Now, here he was proving it again, enjoying the lunch that she was about to dispose of because she believed that no one else would accept it.

Silently, a tear fell from her eye. She finally realized how valuable Yuuya was to her, as a friend and a confidant— as a reliable and timely saviour that would unceasingly come to her rescue. Slowly, more tears followed and dripped onto her lap. Yuuya stopped his eating and turned to her with sadness in his eyes._ 'I don't to see her cry anymore.'_

"You're not crying because this obento wasn't originally made for me, are you?" he asked with a sympathetic smile. Aya shook her head as the steady tears continued to flow. Yuuya even saw her tears to be beautiful.

"N- No," she bit her lip to control the threatening sobs in her chest. "Please, eat all you'd like."

Yuuya set the rest of the meal aside and suddenly held the crying girl close to him, burying her in his broad chest.

"You know? Rei is a jerk somtimes and I don't know what he did to you this time but, Aya-chan, you deserve happiness. I can give you that. I'd never make you cry," he whispered as one hand stroke her dark tresses. "What does Rei have to offer that I can't give you? I can treat you better. I can care for you better. I can..." he paused, then tightened his grip on her. "I can love you better, if you just let me in."

"Yuuya-kun," she sobbed as she gripped tightly onto his shirt. Her heart ached so much. She didn't want him to let go, afraid that if he left, she would forever be forsaken and forgotten. She couldn't bring herself to say anything else, except a mere word of gratitude that she meant from the absolute bottom of her heart: "Arigatou."

From a short distance away, Rei looked onward with a disheartened expression on his usually stoic face. How else was he supposed to react to his girlfriend crying in the arms of his best friend?

Instead of interrupting them like he oh so wanted to do, he spun around on his heels, dug his hands into his pants' pockets, and let them be. Why had he done that? He wasn't quite sure. What he did know was that Yuuya was right about one thing: Aya deserved happiness.

Rei was made of ice. He could only offer her his bitter demeanor and cold memories, no matter how hard he tried. She would only end up crying— it's just how things turned out with him.

Perhaps, maybe, it was time to let her be with someone who could actually make her happy. Someone who could be sensitive to her feelings. Someone a little more human.

Someone like Yuuya Asou.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Eight - Bitterness: End.**

**Siopao:** "_Amai_" means sweet or tasty. Tako musubi is a type of rice ball made with pieces of chopped octopus. Umeboshi is pickled plum onigiri, usually accompanied with dried seaweed (nori).

Please review if you read this story, even if you regularly read & don't review. It's only common courtesy to the author/authoress. Plus, reviews are inspiring & help me update quicker! Thank you~


	9. Of Summer Getaways

**Siopao: **_(08/07/2013)_ Thanks for reviewing: euntan, dyalicious, & dana05! Upon dana's request, this chapter is a tad bit longer. Enjoy~

_Warning_: this chapter is exclusively Aya/Yuuya. Don't get mad please! I just needed to write a whole chapter dedicated to them.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Gals!_ or its characters.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Nine - Of Summer Getaways**

**By: Screaming Siopao**

One week. It had been an entire seven days since she'd last seen him. Seven days since she'd last held him in her arms. Seven days since she'd heard his voice. Well, in person, that is. Because the only way to hear that low, smooth, almost velvet-like voice of his was through the latest voicemail he had sent on that day— the day that she had seen him embracing a woman whom she thought she could never be at par with.

She listened to that message every day when waking up as she lay curled up in her bed and again at night after a long day of exploring Shibuya with the gals, or writing her research paper, or hanging out with Yuuya. The message made her heart sink every time she played it but it was the only way to hear his voice again.

She lay still in her bed, wrapped in her fluffy pink blankets.

"Aya," his voice echoed through the dark room through the speaker of her phone. She had practically memorized the message now. "I'm going away for a bit. There are things that I need to settle. I won't be around for a while. Take care. And Aya, I'm sorry. Ja."

_Doushite, Rei-kun? _A bitter tear rolled down her fair cheek_. _

_You just left without a warning. Right after I saw you with another girl. Without an explanation. Without saying goodbye to me. With only this message for me to hold onto. Why?_

As sad as Aya was, she was also angered by her boyfriend's fickle actions. She was sure that they had finally begun to warm up to each other and had become in sync in their relationship. _And suddenly, you pull this strange disappearing act. You won't even pick up my calls._

Aya's phone buzzed as the caller's name appeared brightly onto the LED screen.

"Yuuya-kun," she whispered as she sank deeper into her covers. She was saddened that it was not the person she had been anticipating but glad that Yuuya could comfort her in this time of loneliness. What a strange time to call. She glanced at the time in the upper right corner of the phone screen: 11:21 PM. "M-Moshi-moshi," she greeted after pressing the green button. Her voice was tired and a bit coarse.

"Oh, Aya-chan, you're up." His voice sounded shocked, seeing as he hadn't expected that she would actually be awake. "I was just wondering if you were alright. You seemed a bit down when we were hanging out earlier."

"Hai, I'm okay. It's just... _him_."

"He still hasn't contacted you, huh?" The silence on the other line affirmed Yuuya's inquisition. As much as he wanted Aya, he just couldn't help but wish that that so-called idiotic best friend of his would just stop screwing up and make his girl happy. It pissed him off that he was such a cold-hearted guy who was able to win over such a sincere girl. In Yuuya's eyes, Rei didn't deserve Aya. That cold, dense best friend of his could never learn how to cherish this gift called Aya Hoshino.

It was time to take matters into his own hands.

"Ne, Aya-chan, just forget about Rei. Don't listen to that message anymore. Let's go out tomorrow, just you and me."

"Forget him?" Aya said with doubt apparent in her tone. "You and I both know that's impossible."

"Then just for tomorrow. Trust me. Please."

Aya smiled just a tiny bit. She could almost imagine Yuuya's pleading eyes. _Those gorgeous, alluring golden eyes..._

_Ack! What am I thinking? _

"A- Alright," Aya accepted his invitation. "Let's go."

"Meet at the station at ten, then," he instructed with a pleased smile on his face. "It's a date."

"D- Date..." Aya whispered to herself, a pink hue appearing on her cheek.

"Yoshi. It's set. Goodnight, Aya-chan." She returned the statement and with that, the two hung up.

Aya curled up in her covers trying to force herself to sleep, but she just couldn't. It was that time of the night wherein flashbacks and situations continued to flow into her mind, preventing her from attaining sleep. One by one, thoughts just played in her head like a compilation of short films.

The moment she plastered a bandage onto Yuuya's cheek at the snowboard slope.

The day he pulled her out of the crowded train and into his arms.

The night he showed up drunk to her house and stayed the night.

The time he rescued her from the truck in the pouring rain.

The evening he confessed to her after she caught a goldfish.

Why was it that every flashback and thought that skimmed her mind included Yuuya? She couldn't get the corn-haired boy out of her mind, not that she didn't like it. It actually soothed her. Yuuya always had that calming effect on her, even in thought.

And with this, Aya slipped into a light slumber for the first time without Rei Otohata as the last contemplation clouding her mind.

**o0o0o0o**

"The scenery is gorgeous," Aya spoke as the train quickly bolted by huge, exotic-looking trees that sat upon uneven hills. "I've never been this far-out using this train line before."

"Yeah. I've traveled this far for a photoshoot. The view is great." Yuuya smiled, admiring the girl who was currently admiring nature.

She always took his breath away. Right now, she was in a peach-colored chiffon tube dress with a thin brown belt around her waist. She wore a few golden accessories and white sandals on her petite feet. In her simplicity, she was absolutely gorgeous and Yuuya took note of that quite well. She continued to stare out of the window in awe, oblivious to her companion's amorous stares.

"Where are we headed, anyway?"

"It's a surprise," he replied while adding a wink.

"Mou, Yuuya-kun, I don't like surprises." She pouted her lip, making her look all the more cuter in Yuuya's eyes. He chuckled at her childish act and patted her head.

"We're not much farther off."

Aya's heart thumped at his touch. His warm hand stroking her hair was large and strong. She would always feel protected with those wonderful hands near her. His hand traveled to her face, cupping her cheek. She subconsciously leaned into it, wanting to feel his soothing warmth forever.

The corn-haired boy felt relieved that she wasn't rejecting his advances. Finally, she was opening up to him. She did not flinch at his touch or stiffen at their skin's contact. She simply welcomed him, with that generous soul of hers.

He was falling deep for this girl— so deep that he inwardly cursed himself for allowing himself to do so.

**o0o0o0o**

"Ehh!" Aya stepped off of the train and onto a sandy platform, a stuffed duffle bag in her hands. Before her was a grand luxury home that was three stories high, surrounded by ample palm trees, and the ocean only a few meters away. "This is..."

"Yup. Welcome to the Asou family beach house!" Yuuya announced with a thumbs up.

"You... You own this place!?" the dumbfounded gal asked with disbelief.

"Well, my parents and aunts and uncles do. They all pay for it and all our families take turns using it during summer."

"So, who's using it now?"

"Well, just you and me." Aya gave him a blank look, eyes wide like saucers. "I don't like coming here too often because, as you see, the ride is quite long." He rubbed his bottom that was hurting from sitting for nearly two and a half hours.

"This is great!" She exclaimed while walking up to the entrance. Yuuya pulled out a key and inside she found that it was just as homey as the outside. Cute beach house decorations and sea shell ornaments adorned the place.

Yuuya showed her to her room, where she could rest. The bed was huge, about twice the size of her own and she plopped onto it with a sigh. Yuuya laughed at her excitement.

"Mmm, I could stay here forever," she stated while closing her eyes. Then, the bed shifted seeing as there was an added weight upon the mattress. She opened her eyes to find Yuuya laying beside her. She blushed at his close proximity upon opening her eyes. Their eyes met at once- gold danced with chestnut. "Yuuya-kun."

"I'm glad that I can make you happy like this." His tone was suddenly quite low and serious. "Even if I don't get to do it forever, this moment will do just fine."

"Silly Yuuya-kun," she softly smiled and poked her slim index finger onto his forehead. Goodness, she looked so adorable to him right now. "You'll always be first place when it comes to making me happy."

At this, Yuuya's eyes widened just the slightest bit. It reminded him of the time when Mami was on the brink of tears, confessing her love to him and stating how he was always number one in her eyes. The strangest squeeze enveloped his heart as he remembered her words and the feelings that followed after Mami's confession.

Why was he suddenly remembering Mami? She'd been gone for about a month already. He quickly shook away the memories and returned his focus on the stunning girl before him, tucking away a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She blushed at his touch and he smiled, knowing he had that type of effect on her.

No matter what would happen, Yuuya realized that he was just blessed to have encountered such a genuine person in his life.

**o0o0o0o**

"Come on in!" Yuuya shouted from waist-deep water. "The water feels great!" During the end of July, it was only natural that the Pacific waters were actually quite warm.

"Hai!" Aya shouted from the sand. She timidly removed her belt and dress only to reveal her mature, womanly body clad in only a tiny navy-blue bikini.

"Holy..." Yuuya whispered at the gorgeous sight before him. He was suddenly quite relieved that his lower half was submerged in water. "Dammit. She looks amazing."

"Wow, you were right," she exclaimed while treading towards her companion. "The water is so clear. Not like Tokyo's waters."

Suddenly then, just as she was about to approach Yuuya, Aya tripped over a large rock under the water, causing her to fall forward. Luckily, Yuuya stepped forward and caught her. However, seeing as both were covered with a layer of water that made them quite slippery, Yuuya couldn't quite grasp Aya and both stumbled beneath the clear blue waters.

After a few moments, the corn-haired boy quickly resurfaced, taking in a huge breath of air. Aya soon followed and reached the surface coughing and gagging, having swallowed a large amount of sea water. Both were completely soaked by now.

"Aya! Aya-chan!" he panicked as he held her face in his hands, examining her for any injuries. "Are you alright? Did you hit your head? How do you feel?" He swept away the drenched brunette locks from her face and neck, further searching for any cuts or bruises.

Suddenly, a laugh escaped from her lips— that bell-like laugh that always got Yuuya so wound up and mesmerized. He stopped everything he was doing for just a second to focus on listening to that beautiful chime ringing through his ears.

"Yuuya-kun, you're such a worry-wart. I'm fine, really," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. It was then when he realized how close they really were. She was so slender, yet curvy. Her body was like that of a goddess. A passerby on the streets would never be able to tell since her choice of wardrobe was not as provocative or as flashy as her other two gal friends. She was mysterious, in her own view. The less you revealed, the more people could wonder, right? One of his hands rested on her shoulder while the other pinched her left cheek.

"Whatever," he sighed with relief, realizing that she indeed was unharmed. "Just try not to be such a klutz next time," he teased. She pouted at this and he laughed, causing her to elicit her bellish laughter once again.

And together, his low rumble and her high tones mingled in beautiful harmony and echoed beyond the sea.

**o0o0o0o**

"See those stars lined up like that?" Yuuya pointed to the dark canvas above him with billions of specs painted onto it. He and Aya were laying on their backs on a blanket by the waters. The sand under their backs was uneven, yet soft and cozy. Nearby, a small fire was burning in a pit full of dried twigs in order to keep the two warm. "That's Orion's Belt."

"Ehh," Aya sighed dreamily as the stars reflected in her eyes. "I've read about that before in one of my reference books. And that..." she pointed to another bright constellation in the sky. "must be the Big Dipper, right?"

"Yeah!" Yuuya exclaimed. He felt so content laying down beside this wonderful girl on this perfect night. Nothing could have possibly ruined this moment for him. He looked at her idle hand laying beside him and felt tempted to grab it.

"This is amazing. I've never seen so many stars. You can't see the sky at all in Shibuya." A content smile was plastered onto her pink lips and she closed her eyes with satisfaction. "Thank you for taking me here."

"Don't mention it." He pushed aside all feelings of nervousness and took her hand in his without saying a word. Hers was so small compared to his. It was warm and soft and he never wanted to let it go.

Aya's eyes shot open and looked over at his strong hand, which enveloped her own, admiring the way it wrapped around hers so protectively. She then looked at his calm face and noticed he was closing his eyes. His eyelashes we quite long, she noted. The colors of the fire danced on his handsome face and her face softened at his tranquility.

After minutes passed without Yuuya saying a word, Aya concluded that her companion had already drifted to sleep. She could hear a low, soft snore emanating from the base of his throat. She giggled at this and only snuggled closer to him to feel his warmth.

She admired him for working so hard to keep her mind busy from sad thoughts and, to her surprise, his efforts did not go in vain. The cold boy who left so suddenly didn't even cross her mind once since the start of their little getaway. She was astonished at how Yuuya could perform such miraculous wonders.

"Yuuya-kun," Aya silently mouthed with a light blush on her cheek. Her hands suddenly became sweaty and she was glad he wasn't awake to feel it. Without a word, she turned her head to face him and planted a kiss on his masculine jaw line. "Yuuya-kun, daisuki." It was a mere whisper in the air.

She smiled and leaned onto his shoulder, realizing that she had grown quite tired from the day's events herself. The sound of the crashing waves in the distance lulled her to sleep in almost an instant. Tonight, she would slumber with the man she knew she could always rely on. The man whom she should have fallen in love with since the beginning.

The man whom her heart was steadily longing for.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Nine - Of Summer Getaways: End.**

**Siopao: **Yes! Aya said "daisuki" to Yuuya~ _Daisuki_ is a way to express affections toward someone you feel romantically towards, but it is not as strong as its more serious counterpart "aishiteru."

Please review if you read this~ domo!


	10. Slow Dancing

**Siopao: **_(08/27/2013)_ Thanks for reviewing: euntan, Agataazura, and guest! Sorry for a later update than usual! Just got back from Canada and I started my junior year of college yesterday. Also, today's my birthday! Woo. Enjoy this very dramatic chapter~

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Gals!_ or its characters.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Ten - Slow Dancing**

** By: Screaming Siopao**

"Rei, pick up the pace. The dinner rush is about to hit us," a black-haired man, clad in a white chef's hat and a white uniform, shouted from behind the kitchen doors. He was currently grilling filet mignon while other chefs around him were sautéing and frying several different Italian dishes.

"Ah. Yes, Oji-san," Rei replied from the lobby area, a tray full of empty glass cups in one hand and a black check book in the other. He set the check down at a nearby table and thanked the couple for dining at the _Piacere_.

Rei quickly set the empty glasses in the kitchen sink and briskly returned to the lobby while adjusting his black bow-tie, which was a part of his uniform as a waiter. He took a breath of air as he glanced at his wrist watch— it was currently 5:37 in the evening. Soon enough, couples, tourists, and, more recently, groups of young women, would be lining up to fill their reservations. After all, _Piacere_ was well known for its Western atmosphere, high-class ambiance, and rich Italian cuisine.

He had been working here for the past two weeks. His uncle was the sous chef and had been begging him to work there as a waiter for quite some time now. Since Rei was working at the record store, he had always turned the request down, though the money was infinitely better. However, ever since the_ 'Miku incident,'_ he quickly took up the offer, though the restaurant was on the other side of the city, causing him to be far away from the gang and, more specifically, Aya.

"I can't afford to leave this job, as demanding as it is," Rei breathed. _I want to see her. But I need to make amends for what I've done._

The exhausted raven-haired boy looked out of the large window. The restaurant was located on the 28th floor of the Shangri-La Hotel and gave a breathtaking view of the entire city of Tokyo, which was another selling point of the place. But what was even more breathtaking to him was what he saw on the ground below: a certain bundle of silky, dark tresses blowing in the wind.

_What... What's she doing in this part of town?_ His eyebrows furrowed in thought. His heart was pacing at a million miles a minute. He hadn't seen a trace of her in the past two weeks.

Quickly, he turned and ran towards the kitchen.

"Oji-san!" Rei exclaimed while busting through the swinging doors. "I want to take my break now."

"Are you kidding me, kid?" his uncle, which resembled him quite a lot, replied while also shouting at some line cooks who were slacking off. "It's about to be the dinner rush and—"

"Just fifteen minutes. Please, I need this," he pleaded with urgency in his tone. His uncle stared at him long and hard.

"Oh, fine. Because you're my favorite nephew. And also, since you've been bringing in quite some business to the place," Oji-san said while glancing at a group of young women who had just entered the lobby.

"Thanks, you're the best," Rei yelled as he ran out of the doors, tearing his vest and bow-tie off in the process.

He pushed the button for the elevator but grew impatient when the silver doors didn't open right away. He pushed open the doors to the stairs and ran down the entire twenty-eight flights in what seemed like no time at all. As he exited the hotel's main floor, he searched for that oh-so familiar brunette hair.

And, there, he found her standing so peacefully underneath a tree, the setting sun making her face as mystic and beautiful as ever. She would have taken his breath away, except for the fact that he was already out of breath from running down all those stairs.

"Aya," his voice was airy and coarse. She turned around and immediately looked up at him with bewilderment in her eyes. Her lips parted but no words escaped.

"R—" a single consonant. She could not bring herself to say his full name. It's as if she had forgotten to.

"... You..." Rei mumbled under his breath, which he was still attempting to catch.

"What?" Aya managed to ask. He could have sworn he heard a sting in her tone.

"I missed you," he repeated, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. God, it felt so good to feel her in his arms again.

"Are... Are these the arms that can hold multiple women?" Aya whispered bitterly. Rei's eyes widened as he pulled away and looked down at her.

"What? Aya, no. That— it meant nothing," he struggled to make the words come out right.

"I'm sure it didn't. But then you disappeared until now. I was so worried, Rei..." Tears were forming in her eyes and they threatened to fall at any given moment.

"I— I'm sorry, Aya. I had to come here to work. I left the record store. You don't have to worry about Miku."

"Why didn't you just tell me? Don't you trust me, Rei-kun?" Her heart felt like it was suffocating as soon as she said his name aloud.

"Of course! I just needed to take care of things. I was going to come back."

"And you thought that everything was going to be the same when you returned?" She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying.

"I— I don't know," he whispered.

"Well," Aya wiped the few tears that managed to escape her eyes. It pained him so much to see her cry. He wanted to make it stop. "Things aren't the same anymore."

As if on cue, Yuuya came up behind Aya. His golden eyes showed the same bewilderment and shock as Aya's displayed earlier as soon as he set eyes on Rei.

_Shit,_ Yuuya thought. Nothing good was going to come out of Rei's reappearance, especially for Yuuya.

Much to Rei's shock, Aya took Yuuya's hand and held onto it firmly. It was like a slap to the face. He looked away with a pained and ticked-off expression.

"Remember that decision you gave me a while back, Rei-kun?" Again, enunciating his name constricted her heart. "Well, I've made up my mind while you were gone. I choose Yuuya-kun."

Yuuya's expression was just as surprised as Rei's. Yuuya thought that as soon as Rei returned, Aya would happily run back into his arms like he never left. He knew Aya quite well, seeing as they were fairly similar to each other. As much as it hurt him, he knew she was irrevocably in love with his best friend, Rei Otohata, and forever would be.

"Aya, please," Rei pled. Yuuya, for the first time, could hear the desperation in his supposed best friend's voice.

"I'm sorry." Aya turned around, attempting to hide her tears, though she wasn't fooling anyone. "Take care of yourself, Rei-kun." With that, she swiftly ran away from the two men, unable to bear Rei's presence any longer.

"Wait—"

"Don't you think you've done enough?" Yuuya said, stepping in Rei's path.

"You backstabbing bastard." Rei roughly gripped Yuuya's collar.

"Don't take your screw ups out on me!" Yuuya struggled to free himself from Rei's grip and pushed him onto the ground. "You hurt her, don't you get it? You left her and I was there to keep her company. You should be thanking me for keeping her together."

"Hn." Rei was speechless as he brought himself up from the ground, dusting off gravel from his uniform. Fighting was useless at this point. Aya was gone. She had turned the tables and was the one to finally reject Rei.

He smirked a bit at the irony of the situation. Was this how she felt during their high school years when he shoved her away? Sure, he thought it was for her own good, but she was persistent. Did she feel this lonely and useless? Was this how she felt when rumors went about that he was dating Ran? Was she this depressed after catching him with Miku?

_No,_ Rei thought. She must have felt much worse. He realized that he was so cold towards her not only once, but all these years. He had taken her patience and kindness for granted. He scoffed at himself in self pity._ I guess this is karma biting me in the ass._

"But, now that you're back," Yuuya continued and broke the silence. "I guess I have no chance, right?"

"What? But she said she— she chose you," Rei's voice faded away. It pissed him off that he let her get away.

"Do you really think she means that?" There was a look of defeat in his goldenrod eyes; a look of sadness. Yuuya walked away to find Aya, leaving a contemplative Rei behind to soak in reflection.

Yuuya knew it the whole time. Trying to capture a maiden's heart was difficult if she had already locked it up and long ago threw away the key. It was dangerous and foolish to pursue Aya, he acknowledged that from the start, yet still went on with it. Though she said she chose him over Rei, he knew she said it out of spite— something he wasn't expecting her to do. Right when she would start falling for him, Rei would return and confuse her all over again— he had predicted this would happen. She'd eventually feel an emptiness with Yuuya that only Rei Otohata could fill.

His short time with Aya was short-lived, yet unforgettable. She was all he ever dreamed of in a woman. She was a taste of heaven that he had always wanted.

Yet, he knew the whole time they were together that they were going down and would eventually meet their demise. His broken heart caused by Mami was healed because of Aya. And now, so soon, it would be freshly broken once again.

Yes, he knew the whole time, even during their happiest moments, that they were slow dancing in a burning room.

**One Summer's Day**

**Chapter Ten - Slow Dancing: End.**

**Siopao: **Such a sad chapter for my birthday! :P Send in a review, please!

"Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" © John Mayer.


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